Numbershot 85: Crazy Gauntlet
by Vile.EXE
Summary: Kidnapped by the mysterious Cube Mask, Akari and Spade are trapped within the Field Spell Death Cube, and only fighting their way through its challenges can free them. It's a fight for their lives... or is it?
1. Chapter 1

**Vile: With Keys of the Solution Chapter 2 done, here's the start of my newest Numbershot: Numbershot 85!**

**Yuma: Man, when was the last time you wrote a Numbershot?**

**Vile: *looks at the archive* ...October 30th of '13. Damn. I've been out of the loop for half a year! Well, time to get back on track. As I mentioned back in Keys, my newer Numbershots won't have Yuma, Kotori, Astral, Mia, or Keegan in them. This one in particular stars Akari and Spade.**

**Spade: So we have to deal with Crazy Box, huh?**

**Vile: Yep, but it's not the sort of Duel you'll be expecting. No disclaimer needed, so let's get going!**

_**Ekushiizu Shoukan! Arawareyo! Nanbāzushotto Hachijūgo!**_

_**85!**_

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Numbershot 85: Crazy Gauntlet

Chapter 1

Within the Tsukumo household, the older sibling, Akari, sat at the kitchen table gazing at a large mass of cards splayed in front of her. Only an hour ago, Yuma had jumped through the portal to seek out the Master Keys alongside Kotori, Keegan, and the two spirits that Akari now knew existed (thanks to Master Key Beetle making them visible for a brief moment). Her face was a look of both scrutiny and uncertainty, the latter of which was broken when a knock sounded at the door. Sighing, Akari got up and answered the door, finding an uncharacteristically serious-looking Spade. "Hey Akari. Mind if I come in?"

"Sure, come on in." Akari said, letting the speedster into her house and shutting the door.

"One look at you tells me that something's wrong." Spade said. Akari sighed again, plopping back into her chair. Spade looked at the table, seeing all the cards. "I didn't know you Dueled."

"I used to." Akari replied, staring at her cards. "I used to like Dueling as much as Yuma did."

"So what stopped you?" Spade asked.

"I had a career to focus on. As much as I liked Dueling, I found that it was distracting me from getting a good job." Akari told him.

Spade looked confused. "There's a lot of jobs in the Duel field. This journalism gig must've been pretty important, huh?"

"When Tou-chan and Kaa-chan disappeared, I thought that if I became a journalist, I could eventually travel the world… and maybe I could find them. I used to give Yuma grief for Dueling because I didn't want Dueling to consume his life." Akari said. "But now that I know what happened to our parents…" Her hands began to shake.

Spade placed a hand on her shoulder. "Easy. You know that Yuma will rescue them, right?"

"That's what I'm afraid of." Akari said, confusing Spade yet again. "The things Yuma have been through are deadly. He's lucky that he's even alive. I'm supposed to protect him like a big sister should… but I'm just sitting here on the sidelines." She looked at her cards again. "It's been some time since I touched these cards, but I feel like I need to do my part to help Yuma."

"He'd appreciate every bit of help you could give him, Akari." Haru, who had appeared nearby, told her. Her open eyes seemed to shine with seriousness. "Though I must ask, you are aware of what could happen to you, yes?"

"Mm-hmm… I could be hurt." Akari said. "But… Yuma wasn't afraid. Tou-chan and Kaa-chan wouldn't be afraid. I can't be afraid either."

"Now you're talkin'!" Spade said with a grin and thumbs-up. "Wasn't that what Yuma said, uh… kattobingu?"

Haru chuckled. "The desire to challenge yourself and surpass your limits extends to doing what's right in the face of harsh odds. Yuma's proven himself capable of that multiple times. Can you do that, Akari?"

Akari was silent for a moment, then she steeled her face. "…I will. If trouble happens while Yuma's gone, I'll do what I can to help."

Haru nodded. "Kazuma would be so proud of you, Akari." She went back to cleaning the house, chuckling to herself.

Spade took a seat at the table with a smirk, looking over the cards on the table. "Hmm. Fairy-Types. For some reason, I expected Kotori to use these kinds of cards." He shot a glance and smirk to the camera.

"They gave me powerful combos back when I Dueled." Akari told him.

"Hmm…" Spade snapped his fingers. "Hang on, I just thought of something." He fished out his own Main and Extra Decks, rifling through the cards. He picked out six of them (five from the Main and one from the Extra) and handed them to Akari. "Here."

Akari took the cards, noting that they were the Herald series: Orange Light, Purple Light, Green Light, Perfection, Pure Light, and Dawn of the Herald. "Why give these to me, Spade?"

"I couldn't find room for them in my Deck. I don't use too many Fairy-Type monsters." Spade told her. "I figured you'd be able to make better use of them than me." He gave her a thumbs-up.

The young woman smiled. "Arigatou, Spade." She placed the cards among the rest of them, gathered them back into a Deck, and shuffled them up. "There. That should do that."

"Who knows what kind of ass you'll kick with those cards?" Spade asked with a laugh.

At that moment, however, there was another knock on the door. "Who is it this time?" Akari wondered. She and Spade walked to the door, but when the door was opened, no one was there. "Eh?" Akari peeked her head out and looked back and forth, seeing nothing.

"Akari." Spade said. When she looked at him, he pointed to underneath her. She looked down and saw what looked like a white box on the doorstep. She knelt down and picked it up, Spade moving to get a better look. "What do you make of it?"

"Got me." Akari said, knocking on the top and getting a sound that indicated that it wasn't hollow. Spade noted a pull tab on the front and took hold, pulling open the top. Within was an odd machine of some sort… which immediately sprayed the two of them with an odd purple gas. Akari and Spade coughed from the odd fumes, but their bodies immediately started feeling weak. Soon, the two of them collapsed in the doorway.

Haru heard the thump of their bodies hitting the ground from the second floor of the house. "Eh?" Curious, she moved toward the steps, but as she descended, she heard the door being shut. When she reached the bottom, she found that the door was closed and the two young adults were gone. Haru wasn't sure whether to be confused or worried.

*A Little Later*

Still groggy from that weird gas, Akari's eyes shook with a groan before slowing opening. Realizing she was laying down, Akari slowly sat up, grabbing her hand and groaning. "What the hell?" As she came to, Akari noticed that she wasn't anywhere familiar. Finally awake, she looked around. She was in a completely empty building that was stark white with a checker pattern, making the whole area look like it was made out of white tiles. Looking beside her, she noticed that Spade was next to her, also laying on the ground. She quickly shook him. "Spade! Get up!"

"*snort* Nn, huh?" Spade groaned as he stirred. Snapping his eyes open, Spade sat straight up, shaking his head. He quickly grabbed his head. "Ngh… wake-up headache…" He noticed where they were. "Where… where the heck are we?"

"I don't know…" Akari said. She pulled out her D-Gazer and tried to connect someone. "Kuso. There's no service!"

_"Ah… Good morning, my guests."_ A voice that was clearly altered with a synthesizer said over an intercom. Akari and Spade looked around to try and find the voice. _"Please, use your D-Gazers."_ Putting the devices on their faces, they saw a screen in an AR field depicting a figure that was completely covered by a cloak, wearing a white full-face square mask with red (also square) cheeks. _"I'm glad you could join me here. Welcome to my domain."_

"You must be the crook who sicced that gas box on us." Spade said with a glare.

_"How else was I supposed to get you here?"_ The figure asked.

"Who are you? What do you want with us? And where are we?!" Akari demanded to know.

_"I prefer to keep my identity a secret… but I am someone of importance."_ The figure said, holding up a card with the back facing them. _"You see, I'm a good friend of the one you call the Number Distributor."_ Both Akari and Spade glared at the figure. _"He contacted me and the rest of my friends. He said he wanted me to 'deal with you'. Of course, he didn't specify how, so I decided I'd have a little fun with you two."_

"Let me guess. You want this, don't you?" Spade asked, holding up Number 48: Godspeed Mirage.

_"You're smarter than the Distributor gave you credit for, speedy."_ The figure told him. _"Naturally, I can match the wager."_ The masked figure flipped the card around. They couldn't read the whole name, but it had the unmistakable "No." symbol that indicated the Numbers. _"But to fully answer what I want with you… I want to play a game."_

"'Game'? You mean a Duel?" Akari asked.

_"Sort of. We are going to Duel, but this Duel isn't your everyday Duel."_ The figure said. _"This area you're in also serves as a Field Magic Card known as **Death Cube**. It has a plethora of effects that will make this Duel more interesting. If you can manage to complete my challenges AND defeat me… I'll let you go, and my Number will be yours."_

"And if we lose or refuse?" Akari wondered.

The figure chuckled. _"…You asked for it."_ A "beep" was heard. _"Behind you."_ Akari turned to see that, from one of the panels on the wall, an odd mechanism emerged and unleashed a powerful jet of fire that screamed toward her.

"AAAAAAH!" Akari screamed, quickly jumping out of the way, making the fire completely miss her. She looked back with a fearstruck look at the fire died down, showing scorch marks on the ground.

Spade gulped, equally freaked. "No wonder it's called 'Death Cube'!" He cried.

_"I think you get the idea. This area is rigged with numerous traps that I have full control over. However, I'm merciful: I'll spare you if you can complete my challenges."_ Death Cube's worker said. _"So… will you play my game?"_

"Do we have much of a choice?" Spade asked as Akari got to her feet.

_"Not really."_ The figure said.

Akari and Spade groaned. "…Fine. We'll play your little 'game'." Akari said. "Since Yuma's not here, we'll take care of you!" Spade smirked at Akari's confidence.

_"Excellent. Please, activate your gear. I can Duel from my control panel." _ The masked man told them.

Akari and Spade looked at each other and nodded. "Duel Disk, set!" Both of their D-Pads equipped to their wrists and activated. "D-Gazer, set!"

**"AR VISION, LINK ESTABLISHED."** The area didn't change since Death Cube's worker said it acted as a Field Magic. **"ESTABLISHING LINK BETWEEN A AND B."** Both of their D-Gazer's flashed, as did one of the eyes of the worker's mask.

"DUEL!"

**Akari LP:4000**

**Spade LP:4000**

**Cube Mask LP:4000**

_"The first move shall be mine. Watashi no turn. Draw!"_ The sound of Cube Mask's card being drawn was heard. _"As this is a three-way Duel, none of us can attack on the first turn. Kaado ni mai settei. Turn end."_ Two facedowns emerged.

"Watashi no turn! Draw!" Akari drew her card. Looking at her hand for a moment, she tried to figure out a move. _'I've been out of practice for a while… but I need to do my best.'_ She picked a card. "Shining Angel, Shoukan!" Her monster emerged as a blond-haired man in a white toga, a halo over his head, and four large golden wings.

Shining Angel: Lv.4 LIGHT Fairy ATK:1400/DEF:800

"Kaado ichi mai settei! Turn end!" A facedown appeared for Akari.

"Ore no turn! Draw!" Spade drew his card. "Silver Robo, Shoukan!" His monster emerged as what appeared to be a silver-plated toy robot with blue eyes and pincer-like hands.

**Silver Robo: Lv.2 LIGHT Machine ATK:700/DEF:600**

"Silver Sprinter no kouka hatsudo! When I Normal Summon a Level 2 monster, I can Special Summon it from my Deck!" A silver blur shot out from Spade's Deck, screeching to a halt to reveal itself as a fully-silver-armored humanoid with jets equipped to its heels.

**Silver Sprinter: Lv.2 WIND Warrior ATK:1000/DEF:0**

"Ore wa, Reberu Ni no Silver Robo to Silver Sprinter de Obarei!" Spade's monsters turned fully green and yellow before spiraling into the air. A red spiral portal opened up, and both his monsters sailed inside. "Ni tai no monsuta de, Obarei Netwaaku kochiku! Ekushiizu Shoukan!" From the portal, a new figure emerged: Another humanoid, female this time, decked out in form-fitting silver armor, a ponytail of platinum-blonde hair coming out the back of a knight-like helmet. "Ideyo, Silver Swordswoman!" Shooting her blue eyes open, the woman pointed a large sword with a polished silver blade to the sky before slashing with it, taking a stance with two yellow Overlay Units orbiting her.

**Silver Swordswoman: Rank 2 LIGHT Warrior/Xyz ATK:1700/DEF:1100 2 Overlay Units**

_"Hmm… you've got more under your belt than I was told."_ Cube Mask mused.

"I'm full of surprises." Spade joked. "Kaado ichi mai settei. Turn end!" His facedown emerged.

_"Watashi no turn. Draw!"_ Cube Mask drew his card. _"Now to set this game into motion. Snipe Hunter, Shoukan." _ This monster was a small purple-skinned fiend of some sort, wearing what looked like black leather on only the front of his body and face (leaving holes for his mouth and fully yellow eyes), a tail, two small wings on his back and head, a long tongue, and an odd laser gun that had a roulette wheel on it.

Snipe Hunter: Lv.4 DARK Fiend ATK:1500/DEF:600

_"Continuous Traps, hatsudo! Tiki Soul! Tiki Curse!" _ Both his facedowns flipped face-up. _ "These two Trap Cards are now Special Summoned as monsters."_ The images on the cards came out of them, becoming two solid tiki-like statues. One had four blues eyes, a grimace, and held a sword and shield, while the other had two red eyes, a pseudo-grin, two staves, and what was either a cape or a pair of wings.

Tiki Soul: Lv.4 LIGHT Rock ATK:1000/DEF:1800

Tiki Curse: Lv.4 DARK Rock ATK:1800/DEF:1000

_"Watashi wa, Reberu Yon no Tiki Soul, Tiki Curse to, Snipe Hunter de Obarei!"_ His three monsters turned fully purple (Hunter and Curse) and yellow (Soul) before shooting into the air in a spiral. A galaxy portal opened up, and all three monsters sailed inside. _ "San tai no monsuta de, Obarei Netwaaku kochiku. Ekushiizu Shoukan!"_ A burst of light erupted from the portal.

The number "85" formed and flashed in magenta, but rather than a sealed form emerging, pats of the air began to recede like metal hatches. _"Arawareyo, Nanbāzu Hachijūgo (Number 85)!"_ When the air finished receding, a large purplish-black box of metal was left. Then, slots of its faces began to recede as well, revealing inner workings of sickly colors. Neither of them could tell if they were flesh or mechanics. _"The roulette of Hell that decides how your fate is sealed!"_ Each side had a number of open areas, with the face that held the Number (in the lower-right) having a single open area with what appeared to be a pink eye that was undoubtedly a flesh-and-blood eye, making the whole thing look like some sort of die. _ "Crazy Box!" _ The eye flashed as the large just floated there ominously, orbited by three purple Overlay Units.

Number 85: Crazy Box: Rank 4 DARK Fiend/Xyz ATK:3000/DEF:300 3 Overlay Units

"This soon?" Akari wondered.

"Those Attack Points are insane for a Rank 4 monster!" Spade cried.

_"My Number is essential for this challenge…"_ Cube Mask told them. They chuckled on the other side of the screen. _"Let the game begin…"_

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Author-Made Cards _(Death Cube's effect will be shown at the end of the Numbershot)_

Silver Robo  
Level 2 LIGHT Machine  
ATK:700/DEF:600  
Level 2 monsters you control cannot be destroyed by battle.

Silver Sprinter  
Level 2 WIND Warrior  
ATK:1000/DEF:0  
When you Normal Summon a Level 2 monster: You can Special Summon this card from your Deck.

Silver Swordswoman  
Rank 2 LIGHT Warrior/Xyz  
ATK:1700/DEF:1100  
2 Level 2 monsters  
Once per turn, when a monster you control with 1000 ATK or less is attacked: That monster is not destroyed by battle, also you take no Battle Damage from that battle. Once per turn, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card to target 1 monster you control: Its ATK becomes 1000.

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**Vile: Akari's Dueling debut is upon us with her and Spade trapped inside the Death Cube. It's going to take more than skill to win this.**

**Akari: Seems like you watch too much of the Saw series.**

**Vile: Actually, I've never seen that series. I don't watch horror movies. I just thought the premise worked for Crazy Box.**

**Spade: And you had to stick us in the middle of it.**

**Vile: I did say I was going to give you guys more screentime. XD Anyway, if you guys liked this chapter, leave a review for me! Ja ne for now!**

**Computer Voice: Vile, logging out.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Vile: This Numbershot's going a little slow, but I can still manage to keep a good pace with the updates.**

**Shark: Why the delay? Sometimes you can even get two chapters out in one day.**

**Vile: Well... Oh, hell with it, read this chapter. You'll understand why it's tricky.**

**Shark: *confused look***

**Vile: Anyway, let's get back into this story. Enjoy, folks!**

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Numbershot 85: Crazy Gauntlet

Chapter 2

Akari and Spade stared down the ominous Number, its single eye gazing back at them like an unblinking abyss.

Number 85: Crazy Box: Rank 4 DARK Fiend/Xyz ATK:3000/DEF:300 3 Overlay Units

Akari tried checking her D-Pad to get info on that monster, but the screen was staticing in and out. "Kuso! It's jammed!"

_"I can't have you getting a preview of what my cards can do, can I?"_ Cube Mask asked rhetorically.

"Slime! Fight with your cards bared!" Spade taunted.

_"Nice insult. Who wrote it, the same hack who wrote those songs you listen to?"_ Cube Mask shot back calmly. Spade gained a tic mark. _"Ah, but I'm getting off track. Death Cube no kouka hatsudo. Due to activating my two Trap Cards, I can replace them with two new Trap Cards."_ Two face-down Trap Cards emerged on his field. _"That was only the set-up. Now for the real action."_ The panels that stuck out of Crazy Box's faces retracted. _"Once per turn, by rolling a six-sided die, I can send you into one of six numbered challenges. You must complete them all to be free, as I mentioned. However, should you fail a challenge before my next turn, you must pay a penalty. Die roll!"_ Crazy Box glowed magenta for a moment before lurching into the air, rolling around like a thrown die. The single eye flashed when it hit the apex of its travel, and it fell back to the ground, bouncing a couple times before landing, the single panel with the flesh eye pointing upward. _"The result is 1. Challenge 1, engage."_ Two panels opened up in the ground, and platforms rose showing two monsters: An odd smiling marshmallow-like monster with an upside-down face, and a skeletal monster decked out in a purple cloak and holding a scythe. Both were in Defense Mode.

Marshmallon: Lv.3 LIGHT Fairy ATK:300/DEF:500

Spirit Reaper: Lv.3 DARK Zombie ATK:300/DEF:200

_"Upon using Death Cube to send you into a challenge, my turn ends immediately. But I pay it no mind."_ Cube Mask said. _"This is Challenge 1, an easy one. Simply destroy these two monsters. Fail, and your Life Points will be halved."_

"That does seem easy." Spade mused. "Akari, think you can handle this?"

"Maybe part of it. Watashi no turn! Draw!" Akari drew her card and looked at the marshmallow._ 'I remember that one from when I Dueled for real. Marshmallon can't be destroyed by battle. But that one…'_ She looked at the skeleton. _'I've never seen that card before.'_ Akari looked at her hand. 'I don't have anything to negate Marshmallon's effect, so I'll have to settle for the other one.' "Shining Angel, attack Spirit Reaper!" The angel gathered light energy in-between his hands, then fired it off as a pure white beam. However, Spirit Reaper merely spun its scythe in front of it, deflecting the attack like it was nothing. "Eh?"

_"Marshmallon is notorious for being indestructible by battle. It and Spirit Reaper are birds of a feather: It can't be destroyed by battle either."_ Cube Mask told them. _"It isn't as well known, so you can be excused for making that mistake."_

"Kuso…" Akari swore.

_"However, I'm not that merciful. Trap Card, **Cube Pitfall**, hatsudo."_ The Trap flipped face-up. _"Since Death Cube is face-up and you failed to destroy a monster by battle… your monster is banished."_ The floor tile underneath Shining Angel glowed around its edges before opening up, and a gravity field pulled it into the pit below, closing itself up once Angel was completely gone._ "Look down."_

Akari did so, and saw that the floor tile glowed just like with Angel. However, before the tile could open up to reveal another pit, Akari was grabbed by the arm and pulled off the tile by a Number 48-boosted Spade. Akari, panting a bit from the shock, looked at the pit and noticed that it seemed bottomless. "Arigatou, Spade."

"No problem. I'm not letting either of us meet an early death here!" Spade replied, speeding back to his spot when the panel closed and glaring at Cube Mask. "That was a cheap shot, Cube Head!"

_"You expected me to play by YOUR rules?"_ Cube Mask asked._ "You forget, I control the Death Cube. This is a different sort of game… and I'm the game master. You play by MY rules here. Death Cube no kouka hatsudo. Since I activated a Trap Card, I can replace it with a new one." _Another facedown emerged.

Spade flipped Cube Mask off in response while Akari only groaned. "Trap, hatsudo! Jar of Greed! This lets me draw one card!" She drew her card. "Monsuta settei! Turn end!" A facedown monster emerged.

"Ore no turn! Draw!" Spade drew his card. "Okay, I have what I need to take care of one of these nimrods… but to be honest, Cube Head? I could care less for your rules!"

_"Oh, really?"_ Cube mask replied.

Spade smirked. "Magic Card, Stop Defense, hatsudo! This makes Spirit Reaper switch to Attack Mode!" A white X shot out from the card and impacted Reaper, but as its slowly moved into an offensive position, lightning crackled over its body before it let out a yell and exploded. "Huh?"

_"You played by my rules without even realizing it. Since you targeted Spirit Reaper by a card effect, its own effect destroys it."_ Cube Mask explained.

"Huh. Go figure." Spade said before he had a lightbulb moment. His smirk returned. "Well then, that just gave us the win! Silver Swordswoman, attack Marshmallon!" The silver-armored woman charged forward, sword pointed forward. The innocent smile on Marshmallon defied a sneaky gleam in its eyes. "Quick-Play Magic, Forbidden Tome, hatsudo!" An odd book appeared on the field, flipped through its pages, and glowed. "Until the end of the Damage Step, all card effects are negated!" A wave of energy shot out from the book. Swordswoman's armor stopped gleaming because of the wave, but Marshmallon took the brunt of it: It turned completely to stone, allowing Swordswoman to slash through it and destroy it by battle. "Yatta!"

Clapping was heard from Cube Mask's end of the screen. _"Not bad, speedy. You've completed the first challenge. As such, a Completion Counter is placed on Crazy Box."_ The gap in Crazy Box's "1" face closed up like a hatch, then white balls of energy settled on the corners of that face, moving to the center to form a white X.

Number 85: Crazy Box: 1 Completion Counter

"For a master of this game, you stink at this." Spade jeered.

"Knock it off, Spade. That was supposed to be easy." Akari told him. "I don't think it'll be so simple from here on in."

"…Good point." Spade admitted. "Kaado ichi mai settei! Turn end!" A facedown emerged.

_"Watashi no turn. Draw!"_ Cube Mask drew his card. _"Crazy Box no kouka hatsudo. I shall roll a six-sided die, and then get a certain effect based on the result."_ One of Crazy Box's Overlay Units was absorbed into one of the empty spaces, exploding within. Its stray panels retracted again, it glowed pink, then it shot into the air like a die, bouncing along the ground. It wobbled between faces 2 and 4 before it ended up with 2 facing up, the gaps flashing. _"The result is 2. Due to this, I can draw 1 card."_ The sound of him drawing was heard.

Crazy Box: 2 Overlay Units

**Cube Mask LP:5000**

"Hey, where'd those Life Points come from?" Spade griped.

_"Wouldn't you like to know?"_ Cube Mask taunted, making them both glare. _"How about you stop with the questions and live with it? I could make my Life Points 1,000,000 if I pleased. Be glad I'm giving you a chance to survive. Death Cube no kouka hatsudo!"_ Crazy Box sailed into the air once again, coming down and bouncing on the ground, hanging between 4 and 6 before landing with 6 face-up. _"Challenge 6, engage."_ Multiple panels opened up in the ground, and an ominous light shone as a larger, black box began to emerge. _"Can you defeat the toughest challenge: Getting rid of my ultimate monster?"_ Then, the sides of the new box glowed before it slowly opened up: Backward two faces, then all three remaining faces opening at the same time. There was a figure attached to the faces, which slowly sat up, its arms attached to the side faces. _"Arawareyo…"_ It finally stood straight up and slowly rose its head, revealing its full appearance: A massive humanoid puppet, with a chalk white face (with black-sclera eyes and pink cheeks), black hair, a warped tuxedo, clawed fingers, and elf-toed boots. _"Cube Master Rubillax!"_ Its eyes flashed red as it stood limp and livid, the faces of the cube attached to its back like a makeshift back shield.

**Cube Master Rubillax: Lv.12 DARK Machine ATK:4000/DEF:4000**

Spade whistled. "Hefty monster!"

_"It's a favorite of mine."_ Cube Mask said. _"Despite it being but one monster, this is the trickiest challenge you will deal with. Remove this monster from the field. Fail to do this before my turn, and the penalty will cost you one of your monsters. Due to Death Cube, my turn ends."_

Akari didn't like the look of this odd monster. "Watashi no turn… Draw!" She drew her card and checked her hand._ 'No monsters I've got can handle this thing. I'll have to play it safe.'_ "Kaado san mai settei!" Another face-down monster, as well as two face-down Magic or Trap Cards, emerged.

_"Trap, hatsudo! **Cube Turbine**!"_ One of Cube Mask's facedowns flipped up and a panel underneath one of the facedowns opened to reveal a wind turbine. _"This card forces your monster face-up. I may keep secrets… but I won't allow you to do so."_ The turbine blew a powerful stream of wind that forced the card upside-down, revealing the monster: A somewhat mechanical being with a cream-and-purple body, six skinny arms, two rings instead of legs, and two large wings. Cube Mask replaced his Trap with another through Death Cube.

Layard the Liberator: Lv.4 LIGHT Fairy ATK:1400/DEF:1500

Akari growled. "Turn end!"

"I hate people who don't play fair. Ore no turn! Draw!" Spade drew his card. "Tri-Glider no kouka hatsudo! Since I have 3 of them in my hand, I can Special Summon them all!" His monsters emerged as three small humans riding on triangular hang gliders that were as big as they were.

**Tri-Glider x3: Lv.2 WIND Warrior ATK:600/DEF:300**

"Ore wa Reberu Ni no Tri-Glider san tai de Obarei!" All three of Spade's monsters turned fully green before shooting into the air in a spiral. Another red spiral portal opened up, and all three monsters sailed inside. "San tai no monsuta de, Obarei Netaaku kochiku! Ekushiizu Shoukan!" A "BANG" was heard as a figure shot out of the portal, leaving behind a trail of smoke as it arced through the air. "Koi, Silver Bullet Dragon!" The monster came back to Earth, revealing itself to be a silver-colored dragon whose body appeared to be almost like stainless metallic silver, having a long snout designed after a gun, large wings attached to under its arms like webbing, and an exhaust pipe instead of a tail. It let out a metallic roar, three green Overlay Units circling it.

**Silver Bullet Dragon: Rank 2 WIND Dragon/Xyz ATK:2500/DEF:0 3 Overlay Units**

_"Another offensive monster that can't stand up to Rubillax, eh?"_ Cube Mask wondered.

"Oh, just you wait, buddy! Silver Swordswoman no kouka hatsudo!" The armored woman slashed one of her Overlay Units.

**Silver Swordswoman: 1 Overlay Unit**

"Once per turn, by using an Overlay Unit, one monster on the field has its Attack Points become 1000!" Twirling her sword, Swordswoman held it like a javelin, a silver glow coating the blade, before she chuckled it at Rubillax. However, the minute the sword slammed into Rubillax's chest, the sword shattered to pieces. "Nani?"

Cube Mask chuckled. _"Good try, but it's no use. Cube Master Rubillax can't be affected by monster effects."_

"Kuso… I switch Silver Swordswoman to Defense Mode!" His knight knelt down and held her sword in front of her. "Turn end!"

_"Oh, so sorry. You couldn't defeat my Cube Master before my next turn. As such, you must pay the penalty: One of each of your monsters is destroyed!"_ Cube Mask stated. One of Death Cube's panels opened up to show an odd mechanism that resembled a huge taser, which unleashed two powerful bursts of electricity, streaking forward and electrocuting Layard and Dragon, destroying them.

Stray electricity careened toward Spade and Akari. "Oh, no!" Spade quickly activated Number 48's power and sped out of the way, being completely unharmed, while Akari had to quickly dive, though she got out unscathed as well. Spade couldn't help but grin. "You made the wrong choice trying to use death traps on someone with super speed, buddy!" He jeered, speeding back to his spot as the taser retreated back into the wall.

_"Watch your mouth!"_ Cube Mask unexpectedly snapped. _"No matter how fast you are, you can still trip over your own feet at any moment."_

"Ooh, did I strike a nerve?" Spade asked. "My idiot cousin didn't like attacks to the ego, either."

_"…If I find out who he is and see him, I'll be sure to relay that crack. Watashi no turn! Draw!"_ He drew his card. _"Crazy Box no kouka hatsudo!"_ The odd box absorbed another Overlay Unit and soared into the air for the next die roll. It fell to Earth, tottering between 1 and 3 before landing on what was 1, but now had the large X. A buzzer was heard. _"Well. Looks like I have to roll again."_

Crazy Box: 1 Overlay Unit

"What do you mean?" Akari asked.

_"You see, since Crazy Box has a Completion Counter from Challenge 1, the effect that Crazy Box has that would've activated from rolling a 1 cannot be activated. As Death Cube's effect states, if I happen to roll a negated effect with Crazy Box, once per turn, I can roll a die again to see if I roll a non-negated effect, and I don't even have to use another Overlay Unit."_ Crazy Box leapt into the air again, spinning for a new roll, coming down and eventually resting on 5. _"5. This effect allows me to destroy one card on the field."_ Five energy balls came out of the gaps in the "5" face, which converged and shot toward one of Akari's facedown Magic/Traps, destroying it. _"Now then… Cube Master Rubillax, attack the girl's face-down monster!"_ With a flash of its eyes, Rubillax retreated into its cubical shell, becoming a box again, which leapt into the air with a slow spin, slowly positioning itself directly above Akari's monster, which revealed itself to actually be two small creatures: A green one with a tiny ponytail, and a pink one with tiny pigtails, both having solid blue eyes and a ring of light around their bodies._ "Hold on a moment, Rubillax!"_ The massive airborne box suddenly froze in mid-air, not moving.

"How in the…?" Spade breathed.

_"Trap Card, **Cube Taser**, hatsudo!"_ The same taser-like gadget emerged from the wall panel again. _"This card inflicts 500 damage to you right on the spot!"_ The gadget fired another stream of electricity at Akari, who managed to bend backwards just enough to make the lightning fly completely over her. Spade was surprised that she was that flexible.

**Akari LP:3500**

However, her monster(s) wasn't so lucky: The two creatures were affected by stray electricity, squeaking in pain before exploding. _"I'm glad I saw that before I completed my move." _Cube Mask said as he replaced the Trap Card._ "Since you took damage, Gellenduo destroyed itself by its own effect, which has a handy little side-effect: With Rubillax's original target gone, it must change target!"_ Rubillax began to spin again in mid-air. _"Rubillax, your target is now the woman herself! Direct attack!"_ The spinning stopped dead, and Rubillax plummeted straight down like a meteor, complete with a fire effect mimicking atmospheric entry. The massive box impacted the ground and caused a powerful explosion and shockwave.

"AKARI!" Spade cried through it all.

The smoke took a while to clear, with Rubillax floating back to Cube Mask's field and unfolding again. _"Well… that was disappointing. I thought she would've put up more of a figh- huh?"_ As Cube Mask looked, he saw that Akari was still standing, albeit panting, with a Trap Card active. _"Wait a minute…"_ The sound of computer keys typing was heard for a moment. _"Ah… Aegis of Gaia. Not a bad save, girl."_

"Aegis of Gaia?" Spade asked.

"Hah… hah… When Aegis of Gaia is activated… I gain 3000 Life Points." Akari explained. "It helped me… avoid losing."

**Akari LP:2500**

_"I underestimated the two of you. Especially you, woman." _Cube Mask said._ "Turn end. Come to me now. Show me your futile efforts to escape the Death Cube."_

* * *

Author-Made Cards

Cube Master Rubillax  
Level 12 DARK Machine  
ATK:4000/DEF:4000  
Cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. Must be Special Summoned by the result of "Death Cube"'s die roll effect being 6, and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. Cannot be destroyed by battle. This card is unaffected by the effects of Monster, Spell, and Trap Cards.

Tri-Glider  
Level 2 WIND Warrior  
ATK:600/DEF:300  
If you have 3 cards with this card's name in your hand: Special Summon this card and all other cards with the same name from your hand.

Silver Bullet Dragon  
Rank 2 WIND Dragon/Xyz  
ATK:2500/DEF:0  
3 Level 2 monsters  
If this card attacks a Defense Position monster, inflict piercing battle damage to your opponent. If this card attacks: Destroy this card at the end of the Damage Step unless you detach 1 Xyz Material from this card.

Cube Pitfall  
Normal Trap Card  
Cannot be activated unless you control a face-up "Death Cube". When a monster your opponent controls battled a monster you control, but didn't destroy it by battle: Banish that monster your opponent controls.

Cube Turbine  
Normal Trap Card  
Cannot be activated unless you control a face-up "Death Cube". Target 1 face-down monster you opponent controls: Flip it into face-up Defense Position.

Cube Taser  
Normal Trap Card  
Cannot be activated unless you control a face-up "Death Cube". Inflict 500 damage to your opponent.

* * *

**Vile: Hopefully now you see why it's taking a bit longer for this Numbershot.**

**Shark: Oh... it's a Puzzle Duel!**

**Vile: Exactly. Akari and Spade's D-Pads are jammed, so that can't look up cheap ways to win. Then again, they'd have trouble anyway if they knew Rubillax's whole effect.**

**Ariel: Oh, I hope they get out of this!**

**Vile: *smirks* Keep in mind who's writing this story, Ariel. XD Anyway, if you guys liked this chapter, leave a review for me! Ja ne for now!**

**Computer Voice: Vile, logging out.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Vile: Okay, this chapter was not easy, but I finally managed to get it done.**

**Yuma: What was the problem?**

**Vile: Figuring out how a card ruling worked so I could make a big play without resorting to making a custom card. -_-'**

**Yuma: Why? You're usually not against ass-pulls.**

**Vile: My beta reader RK777's pretty picky, but hey, I think his judgement helped here. Anyhoo, let's get back into this. Enjoy, folks!**

* * *

Numbershot 85: Crazy Gauntlet

Chapter 3

"Watashi no turn… Draw!" Akari drew her card.

_"Trap Card, **Cube Camera**, hatsudo."_ A face-down flipped up, and a panel of Death Cube opened up to reveal an odd camera._ "This Trap Card lays your hand bare to me on my computer screen in my control room."_ Akari growled as the camera zoomed in on her hand: Tethys, Goddess of Light, Consecrated Light, Dawn of the Herald, and Soul of Purity and Light. _"Hmm. So much for any threats."_ The camera retreated back into the wall, and Cube Mask replaced the card with another Trap from his Deck.

_'…Not even Spade's Number can topple that monster's Attack Points…'_ Akari looked at her hand._ 'All I can do is play defensively.'_ "…Monsuta settei. Turn end." Akari placed a monster facedown.

"Ore no turn! Draw!" Spade drew his card.

"Spade!" Akari called to him, getting his attention. "That monster has to be more powerful than we think. If it can't be touched by monster effects, I would guarantee that it can't be affected by Magic or Trap Cards."

_"Not a bad guess at all. You're right on the money."_ Cube Mask said.

Spade frowned. "Thanks for the tip. It's not like I had any cards here that could affect that thing, anyway." He looked through his hand. "But maybe there's something else I can do. Magic Card, **Two-Cents Worth**, hatsudo! This card banishes a Rank 2 Xyz Monster from my Graveyard and lets me draw a card for each monster that I could use to Xyz Summon it!" He removed Silver Bullet Dragon and drew three cards. "Good draw! Junk Synchron, Shoukan!" His orange-garbed, scarf-wearing, engine-backed Tuner Monster appeared.

Junk Synchron: Lv.3 DARK Warrior/Tuner ATK:1300/DEF:500

"Junk Synchron no kouka hatsudo! When it's Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 2 or below monster from my Graveyard!" Junk Synchron pointed its hand to another Zone, and a purple portal opened up. "Yomigaere, Silver Sprinter!" From the portal, Spade's silver-armored human with jet heels emerged.

**Silver Sprinter: Lv.2 WIND Warrior ATK:1000/DEF:0**

"Doppelwarrior no kouka hatsudo! Since I Special Summoned a monster from my Graveyard, I can Special Summon it from my hand!" Trace images began moving on the field, settling as a man dressed completely in black with a lighter-colored scarf, a helmet that covered his eyes, and a black SMG.

Doppelwarrior: Lv.2 DARK Warrior ATK:800/DEF:800

"Let's go! I Tune Level 2 Silver Sprinter with Level 3 Junk Synchron!" Junk Synchron pulled the cord on its body, starting up its engine before it changed into three Level Stars. The Stars turned into Synchro Summon Rings that lined up, and Sprinter moved through them, changing into an outline with two Level Stars, which lined up. "Shinkuro Shoukan!" A green light shot through the rings. "Ideyo! Junk Warrior!" From the light, the iconic purple-armored Synchro Monster emerged, punching its fist to take its stance with eyes glowing red.

Junk Warrior: Lv.5 DARK Warrior/Synchro ATK:2300/DEF:1300

"But I'm not done yet! Silver Fork no kouka hatsudo! Since I've already Synchro Summoned this turn, I can use it directly from my hand to Synchro Summon a Level 4 or below Synchro Monster!" The monster in question emerged as a sentient silver tuning fork that had small arms and legs on the handle, and eyes on the ends of its prongs. "I Tune Level 2 Doppelwarrior with Level 2 **Silver Fork**!" Silver Fork vibrated its prongs, sending out waves as its body changed into two Level Stars, which became Synchro Summon Rings. Doppelwarrior jumped through the rings, morphing into two Level Stars that lined up, and a green light shot through the rings. "Shinkuro Shoukan!" Another figure arose from the light, appearing to resemble some sort of rocket. "Ideyo, Silver Bomber!" The light died down, showing it was, indeed, a rocket, only with a bulging mid-section that had a visible, and unstable, red core.

**Silver Bomber: Lv.4 FIRE Machine/Synchro ATK:100/DEF:0**

"Doppelwarrior no kouka hatsudo! Since I used it for a Synchro Summon, I can Special Summon two Doppel Tokens!" Two after-images of the warrior appeared in the Zones next to Bomber.

Doppel Token x2: Lv.1 DARK Warrior/Token ATK:400/DEF:400

_"So many weak monsters, so little time. You certainly don't waste time filling your field."_ Cube Mask mused.

"Hey, you ever heard the saying, 'Big things come in small packages'? I'm about to prove it!" Spade replied. "Silver Bomber, attack Cube Master Rubillax!" The two sections surrounding the core began to spin as the thruster roared to life, then the rocket shot forward, the sections spinning like a drill. Rubillax held one of its arm panels in front of it, causing the rocket to slam straight into it.

_"Was that supposed to be suicide?"_ Cube Mask asked. However, Silver Bomber's spinning began to make Rubillax's arm panel crack. _"Nani?"_

"Silver Bomber no kouka hatsudo!" Spade declared. "When Silver Bomber attacks, it gains Attack Points equal to the opposing monster!" The core began to core ominously.

**Silver Bomber ATK:4100**

"Yatta! Rubillax will be destroyed by battle now!" Akari chirped. The core's red glow began to surround the rocket's whole body, then…

_**BOOM!**_

A massive explosion reduced Silver Bomber to pieces, covering Rubillax by a massive cloud of smoke. Spade let out a sigh. "Since Silver Bomber attacked, it destroyed itself. It's a one-shot kill… but it was worth it."

_"Oh, was it now?"_ Cube Mask asked. Spade looked up and saw that Rubillax was completely unharmed, aside from the fact that its arm panel was blown completely off.

"Nanda?!" Spade cried. "How did it survive?"

_"Guess."_

Akari gulped. "It… can't be destroyed by battle, either?"

_"Precisely. And thanks to Death Cube, I take no Battle Damage."_

**Cube Mask LP:5000**

"Wait… no monster effects, no Magic Cards, no Trap Cards, invincible by battle…" Spade counted off on his fingers. His eyes went deathly wide. "THAT MEANS WE CAN'T BEAT THIS THING!"

Cube Mask was clapping his hands. _"Ah, you finally understand!"_

"But… how are we supposed to beat this challenge if we can't remove Rubillax?" Akari wondered.

_"Isn't it obvious? You can't!"_ Cube Mask said with joy. _"Did you think I was actually going to give you a fair chance? Oh no, I'm not that stupid. It was my plan from the start to watch you squirm in the face of a monster you can't handle."_

Spade and Akari groaned, sweat starting to form on their foreheads. "Turn end!"

_"And you've failed my challenge yet again. So, Death Cube costs you yet another monster!"_ Another wall panel opened up, revealing a different flamethrower gadget from earlier, which blasted a stream of fire and incinerated Junk Warrior, completely missing Spade due to his speed. _"Can't you stay still and be harmed by my traps at least once?"_

"Screw you! We're getting out of here alive, Cube Head!" Spade shot back.

"Wait a minute. How come none of my monsters were destroyed?" Akari wondered.

_"Oh, that. Death Cube is picky about its penalties. It can only destroy monsters that are face-up."_ Cube Mask explained. _"But it isn't like you can beat my monsters by force, anyway. Watashi no turn. Draw!"_ He drew his card. _"Rubillax, attack the speedy one's Doppel Token!"_ Flashing its eyes, Rubillax re-formed the panel for its arm before retreating into its cube shell and leaping into the air, spinning at it gained height and positioning itself above one of the Doppel Tokens. _"Cube Crush!"_ Rubillax then plummeted straight down, intent on crushing the Token.

"Silver Swordswoman no kouka hatsudo!" Spade declared. The armored woman moved directly in front of the Doppel Token and pointed her sword upward. The tip flashed briefly before projecting a silver-colored energy barrier around herself and the Token, which Rubillax impacted, but couldn't break through it. "Once per turn, when a monster I control with 1000 or less Attack Points is attacked, not only is that monster not destroyed by battle, but I don't take any Battle Damage, either!" Rubillax recoiled off of the barrier and landed back on Cube Mask's field, emerging from its shell.

Cube Mask let out a small growl. _"You truly are annoying…"_ He mused. _"Trap Card, **Cube Wall Crush**, hatsudo! With Death Cube active, all of your monsters, both of yours, are destroyed!"_ Two panels shot out from the walls, attached to metal columns, pushing all of their monsters into each other and crushing them to pieces, retreating into the wall without any sort of debris on them. _"In case you're wondering, I didn't bother trying to use my trap on you two because of, naturally, the young man's speed."_ Spade smirked. Cube Mask replaced his Trap Card with another one through Death Cube. _"I suppose I shouldn't complain, though. You don't stand a chance against Rubillax. Turn end."_

Akari hesitated before she drew. _'Is this really an inescapable situation? Should I draw, knowing there may be no way out?'_ Then, a flashback occurred for her.

*Flashback*

"There's a lot of different card effects in this world…" Yuma said, who was in a Duel against a powerful monster. "…But none of them are perfect! No matter what, if you have the right card somewhere in your Deck, you can always make a comeback!"

*End Flashback*

"With the right card… you can always make a comeback…" Akari repeated. She closed her eyes. "Watashi no turn… DRAW!" She drew her card while snapping her eyes open, which widened upon seeing her card. _'This card… This is it! Yuma was right!'_ A grin appeared on her face… a very Tsukumo-like grin.

"Akari?" Spade wondered.

_"Oh?"_ Cube Mask also wondered.

"Magic Card, Soul Exchange, hatsudo!" An odd wisp of energy came out of the card, coating Rubillax's head.

_"Eh? What is this?"_ Cube Mask demanded.

"Rubillax cannot be affected by card effects… but it can still be targeted for effects, which is not the same thing." Akari said. "Soul Exchange allows me to release a targeted monster on your field as if it was my own. Since Rubillax is only targeted, and releasing is not a card effect… Rubillax is not protected!"

_"BAKANA!"_ Cube Mask shrieked.

Akari pointed at Rubillax. "Cube Master Rubillax… RELEASE!" Rubillax let out a groan as it weakly curled back up into a cube and disintegrated. "Tokushu Shoukan!" A pillar of light erupted from the ground, and from it, a new figure emerged: A silver-haired woman dressed in a long silver gown (with a prominent gold breastplate), an odd tiara, and two large white wings that weren't actually part of her body, but merely floating behind her. "Koi, Tethys, Goddess of Light!" With a sweep of her wings, Tethys dispelled the excess light.

Tethys, Goddess of Light: Lv.5 LIGHT Fairy ATK:2400/DEF:1800

"All right, Akari!" Spade chirped with a fistpump. "That was awesome! You took down Rubillax!"

Akari rubbed the back of her head. "Eh heh heh. I owe that last bit of confidence to Yuma."

_"Indeed you do…"_ Cube Mask mused. _"As much as I detest the thought of it… you have completed Challenge 6."_ Crazy Box moved to show its "6" face, whose hatches closed before a white X painted itself overtop of it.

**Number 85: Crazy Box: 2 Completion Counters**

Akari was still grinning. "That takes care of the toughest challenge. Things should be easier from here on in. Turn end!"

"Ore no turn! Draw!" Spade drew his card. "Magic Card,** Tarnished Silver,** hatsudo! This card lets me Special Summon any number of Level 2 or below Silver monsters from my Graveyard with their stats halved and their effects negated!" Three purple portals emerged, and from them, Silver Robo, Sprinter, and Fork emerged. Their bodies, however, were all dull.

**Silver Robo: Lv.2 LIGHT Machine ATK:350/DEF:300 (originally 700/600)**

**Silver Sprinter: Lv.2 WIND Warrior ATK:500(originally 1000)/DEF:0**

**Silver Fork: Lv.2 EARTH Machine/Tuner ATK:400/DEF:200 (originally 800/400)**

"Kaado ichi mai settei! Turn end!" Spade's facedown emerged. "What else you got for us, Cube Head?"

_"I assure you, I've 'got' much more for you. Watashi no turn. Draw!"_ Cube Mask drew his card. _"Magic Card, **Dice Bonus**, hatsudo. By rolling a six-sided die, all players draw cards equal to the result."_ Crazy Box's X'ed-over faces were uncovered, and it shot into the air, spinning around before falling to the ground. The fiendish die wobbled between 3 and 5 before landing on 5. _"5. All players draw five cards."_ Everyone drew, putting Akari at 7 cards, Spade at 6 cards, and Cube Mask, although Akari and Spade couldn't see it, at 11.

Akari, however, was suspicious. _'That wobbling… I know I've seen that before.'_ Crazy Box moved back to its spot, and the "1" and "6" were X'ed-over again.

_"Trap Cards, **Cube Camera** ni tai de, hatsudo!"_ Both his Trap Cards flipped up, revealing them as two copies of the same card. "Now, let's see both of your hands, shall we?" The same camera that spied on Akari came from the wall, and another one came from the wall behind Spade.

**Akari's hand: Soul of Purity and Light, Dawn of the Herald, Cestus of Dagla, Good Goblin Housekeeping, Herald of Purple Light, The Creator Incarnate, Shining Angel**

**Spade's hand: Sonic Warrior, **Silver Medal**, Hero Kid, Graceful Revival, **Silver Sword**, Speed Warrior**

_"Interesting cards."_ Cube Mask mused. _"Crazy Box no kouka hatsudo!"_ The box absorbed its final Overlay Unit before shooting into the air. When it came back down to the ground, it didn't wobble, managing to land safely on 3. _"The result is 3. As such, one of my opponents must discard one card from their hand. I choose the woman."_ Akari sent Good Goblin Housekeeping to the Graveyard.

**Crazy Box: 0 Overlay Units**

**Cube Mask LP:6000**

"More Life Points?!" Spade cried.

_'That's it!'_ Akari realized.

Cube Mask merely chuckled. _"Kaado ni mai settei."_ Two more facedowns emerged, this time from Mask's hand instead of through Death Cube. _"Now then… let's move you into something different! Death Cube no kouka hatsudo!"_ Crazy Box shot into the air again.

Akari watched closely at it soared, her vision seemingly going into slow motion. Then, she saw a flash._ 'There!'_ "Herald of Purple Light no kouka hatsudo!"

"Huh?/_Huh?"_ Spade and Cube Mask gasped.

She took Purple Light and Shining Angel from her hand. "By sending Herald of Purple Light and another Fairy-Type monster from my hand to the Graveyard… I can prevent the activation of a Trap Card or its effect, then destroy it!" A round metallic object with tiny wings, a tiny head, arms, and purple crystal growing out from within appeared, a purple glow radiating across its body. The image of Shining Angel appeared, morphed into energy, and infused itself into Purple Light's head, causing the head to glow brighter. Then, a purple laser beam shot out of its head, striking a seemingly empty area of Cube Mask's field, but it caused an area of the air to ripple and static before revealing what was actually there: A Continuous Trap Card known as **Loaded Dice**. "I knew it!"

"What is that?" Spade wondered. Crazy Box was stopped in mid-air, its body staticing.

_"How… How did you know?!"_ Cube Mask cried.

"I was always suspicious about how your die rolls kept wobbling. That doesn't happen very often with dice." Akari explained. "Then I remembered a Duel I saw, one that involved another one of the Numbers. That Number rigged the die rolls, and I kept seeing the dice wobble. And you've been using almost no Magic Cards during this Duel. That made it click: You were rigging the die rolls with a Trap Card." She looked at the face-up card. "And I was right. Loaded Dice let you choose what roll you wanted, and if it didn't work, it made it work. If it worked anyway, you gained an extra 1000 Life Points."

"So that's how he did that!" Spade realized.

_"I can't believe you discovered my secret… even after I kept it hidden so well!"_ Cube Mask growled as Loaded Dice finally exploded, Herald of Purple Light vanishing. _"I didn't think I would need to replace that one."_ Another Trap Card appeared in place of Loaded Dice. _"Now that Loaded Dice is gone… The die roll is no longer at anyone's mercy."_ The staticing Crazy Box finally fell to the ground, landing on "2". "Rrgh… Challenge 2, engage." Crazy Box then floated backwards, past its Zone and into the back row. _"To utilize this challenge, Crazy Box must be moved to the Magic and Trap Card Zone temporarily."_ Then, five lights emerged on the Monster Zones, indicating five Summons. The monsters all resembled odd dice, but there were fiendish arms, legs, and heads coming from each of them. The dice were all different shapes: 4-side, 6-side, 8-side, 12-side, and 20-side.

**Devil Dice 4: Lv.2 DARK Fiend ATK:400/DEF:400**

**Devil Dice 6: Lv.3 DARK Fiend ATK:600/DEF:600**

**Devil Dice 8: Lv.4 DARK Fiend ATK:800/DEF:800**

**Devil Dice 12: Lv.6 DARK Fiend ATK:1200/DEF:1200**

**Devil Dice 20: Lv.10 DARK Fiend ATK:2000/DEF:2000**

_"I didn't want this one… It would be too easy for you."_ Cube Mask admitted. _"To beat this challenge, you must destroy all five of these monsters in ascending Level order, starting from Devil Dice 4 and ending with Devil Dice 20. Just to reassure you that this move is legitimate, three of these dice were Special Summoned from my hand. The others came from my Deck."_ He held up a six-card hand as proof. "_Turn end."_

Akari and Spade looked at each other and nodded, both showing confident smiles. It was time to turn the tables.

* * *

Author-Made Cards

Silver Fork  
Level 2 LIGHT Machine/Tuner  
ATK:800/DEF:400  
During the Main Phase of a turn where you have already Synchro Summoned: You can use this card in your hand as the Tuner Monster for the Synchro Summon of a Level 4 or lower Synchro Monster.

Devil Dice 4/6/8/12/20  
Level 2/3/4/6/10 DARK Fiend  
ATK & DEF: Both equal to number of sides x100  
During your Standby Phase: You can Special Summon any number of "Devil Dice" monsters from your Graveyard with different names that were sent there since your last Standby Phase.

Silver Bomber  
Level 4 FIRE Machine/Synchro  
ATK:100/DEF:0  
1 Level 2 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters  
When this card attacks a monster your opponent controls: It gains ATK equal to that monster's ATK. At the end of the Damage Step when this card attacked: Destroy this card.

Two-Cents Worth  
Normal Spell Card  
Banish 1 Rank 2 Xyz Monster from your Graveyard: Draw 1 card for each monster that would be needed to Xyz Summon that monster.

Tarnished Silver  
Normal Spell Card  
Special Summon as many Level 2 or lower "Silver" monsters as possible from your Graveyard. Their ATK and DEF are halved, and their effects are negated. You take 400 points of damage for each monster Special Summoned this way.

Dice Bonus  
Normal Spell Card  
Roll a six-sided die. Both players draw a number of cards equal to the result.

Cube Camera  
Normal Trap Card  
Cannot be activated unless you control a face-up "Death Cube". Your opponent must show you their hand.

Cube Wall Crush  
Normal Trap Card  
Cannot be activated unless you control a face-up "Death Cube". Destroy all monsters your opponent(s) control.

Loaded Dice  
Continuous Trap Card  
Whenever you roll a six-sided die: Declare a number from 1 to 6. If the result of the die roll is the declared number: Gain 1000 Life Points. If the result is not the declared number: Treat the result as the declared number.

* * *

**Vile: Thanks to Akari's turn-around, the toughest challenge of Death Cube is complete! As stated, the time for a comeback is upon them!**

**RK777: Ugh... this Duel is giving me a headache.**

**Vile: You and me both, man. It took us for-freaking-ever to make this chapter, and we still have a tricky part ahead.**

**RK777: In my defense, I did warn you that I'm a bit of a realist when it comes to writing Duels; but overall, I think the challenge of creating this nightmare of a duel that hints to a horror series has gotten the best of both of us. I say we never do this again. Deal?**

**Vile: Deal. *shakes hand* I'm hesitant to use Duel Puzzles in GSTART at all after this, even though GSTART is the video-game-based one. At least we're halfway to the end. If you readers liked this chapter, leave a review for us! Ja ne for now!**

**Computer Voice: Vile, logging out.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Vile: I'm glad I've got RK's help, or this Numbershot might've been next to impossible. Either way, Chapter 4 is ready to go!**

**Yuma: *looks at the word count* It's shorter than the others. What brought that about?**

**Vile: That was mainly because I couldn't find a better spot for the cut-off point. I'm still going for my usual 6-chapter limit here.**

**Akari: I actually forgot that was a thing for these stories.**

**Vile: I didn't. That's how it's been (mostly; Numbershot 63 is that little standout), so why bother changing it? Enjoy, folks!**

* * *

Numberhot 85: Crazy Gauntlet

Chapter 4

"Watashi no turn! Draw!" Akari drew her card. "The Creator Incarnate, Shoukan!" Her monster emerged as a dark-skinned man dressed in orange-and-red armor with a plumed helmet, a cape that was somehow attached to the helmet, and a short red sword.

The Creator Incarnate: Lv.4 LIGHT Warrior ATK:1600/DEF:1500

"Equip Magic, Cestus of Dagla, hatsudo!" A weapon resembling a pair of bladed capital "D"'s emerged, each one having a handle, both of which were grabbed by Tethys. "This card gives Tethys 500 more Attack Points!"

Tethys ATK:2900

"Creator Incarnate, attack Devil Dice 4!" The smaller warrior charged forward and shot his sword straight through the fiend's blue four-sided shell, causing the whole thing to crack violently before exploding. "Tethys, follow up on Devil Dice 6!" Readying her new weapon, Tethys teleported in a flash of light, appearing right behind Devil Dice 6. The black-shelled fiend barely had time to turn around before it was hit with three light slashes, causing it to explode in brilliant light.

_"Grrrrr…"_ Cube Mask growled as Tethys teleported back to Akari's field.

"Turn end!" Akari said.

"Nice start, Akari! Leave it to me now!" Spade said. "Ore no turn! Draw!" He drew his card. "Speed Warrior, Shoukan!" A dark grayish-armored humanoid with a gas mask emerged, pulling a spinning handstand before screeching his wheeled feet on the ground.

Speed Warrior: Lv.2 WIND Warrior ATK:900/DEF:400

Spade's eyes flashed. "Ore wa, Reberu Ni no Speed Warrior, Silver Robo, Silver Sprinter to, Silver Fork de Obarei!" All four of his monsters turned fully green, yellow, and orange before shooting into the air in a spiral. This time, a galaxy portal opened up, and all four monsters sailed inside. "Yon tai no monsuta de, Obarei Netwaaku kochiku! Ekushiizu Shoukan!" A burst of light erupted from the portal.

The number "48" formed and flashed in dark blue, and the large tarped-over cage appeared. "Arawareyo, Nanbāzu Yonjūhachi (Number 48)!" Banging was heard as the cage was tossed around, and then the monster broke out, speeding all around the field. "Godspeed Mirage!" The superhero screeched to a halt on Spade's field, did some fancy moves, and struck a hero pose, orbited by four green Overlay Units.

**Number 48: Godspeed Mirage: Rank 2 WIND Warrior/Xyz ATK:2700/DEF:300 4 Overlay Units**

"Time to kiss this challenge goodbye! Godspeed Mirage, attack Devil Dice 8!" Godspeed leaned down before vanishing with his speed. He dashed around the remaining Devil Dice before delivering a powerful kick to the one with the red eight-sided shell, flinging it clean into the wall, exploding it when it impacted. "Godspeed Mirage no kouka hatsudo! By using an Overlay Unit, he can attack again!" Mirage zipped back to Spade's field only to kick one of his Overlay Units, absorbing it into his foot.

**Godspeed Mirage: 3 Overlay Units**

With his new energy, Mirage zipped around the field again, stopping right in front of Devil Dice 12 and giving a playful wave. The yellow-shelled fiend stupidly waved back, only for Mirage to deliver an upward kick right to its chin, knocking it clean upward into the ceiling, making it also explode on impact. "And the best part? Godspeed Mirage can use this effect up to twice per turn!" Zipping back to Spade's field, Godspeed absorbed another Overlay Unit. This time, he dashed toward Devil Dice 20 in a straight line, jumped into the air, then dove straight down for a dive kick, slamming the green-shelled fiend into the ground, leaving a crater behind. Mirage jumped out of the crater, and Devil Dice 20 exploded right after.

**Godspeed Mirage: 2 Overlay Units**

"Too easy!" Spade said with a snap of his fingers.

_"Yes… that was too easy."_ Cube Mask said with an undertone of malice. _"You have completed Challenge 2."_ Crazy Box floated back into a Monster Zone and moved to show its "2" face, whose hatches closed before a white X painted itself overtop of it.

Number 85: Crazy Box: 3 Completion Counters

"Yatta! We're halfway there!" Akari chirped. The two young adults flashed a thumbs-up to each other.

"Kaado ichi mai settei! Turn end!" Spade's facedown emerged.

_"Watashi no turn! Draw!"_ Cube Mask drew his card. _"Time to refresh my options. Magic Card, **Crazy Cube Recycling**, hatsudo! This card allows me to use five of Death Cube's Trap Cards that I've used on you so far as Overlay Units for Crazy Box!"_ Electricity was heard crackling from an unseen area, then five explosions erupted from five different panels, showing the junked forms of three Cube Camera, Cube Taser, and Cube Turbine. All five pieces of broken machinery turned into purple energy and moved toward Crazy Box, orbiting it as Overlay Units.

Number 85: Crazy Box: 5 Overlay Units

"This guy's Deck just gets cheaper by the minute!" Spade griped.

_"You've made me mad now. I could care less about your complaints."_ Cube Mask growled. _"Crazy Box no kouka hatsudo!"_ One of the Overlay Units was absorbed by the box, then it shot into the air. Without Loaded Dice, the result could've been anything. The fiendish die landed on the ground with its X'ed-over "2" face on top. _"Blast. Re-roll!"_ Crazy Box shot into the air once more, falling down and landing on its X'ed-over "1" face. _"Grrrr… Re-roll!"_ With another leap into the air, Crazy Box finally landed on a viable face: 3. _"The result is 3. Speedy one, discard one card from your hand."_ Spade discarded Sonic Warrior. _"Death Cube no kouka hatsudo!"_ Crazy Box shot into the air again. _"There is one challenge left that will seal your fate… All I need is a little luck."_ The box fell to Earth, bouncing on the ground twice. Finally, the box landed on the "4". Cube Mask let out a chuckle. _"Excellent…"_

"Uh-oh." Akari and Spade said.

_"Challenge 4, engage!"_ Four panels in the middle of the cube opened up, and an ominous purple light shone out as an object emerged. It was some odd black mechanism of sort covered in a dark purple gas, but the way the gas moved almost made it look like a beating heart. More panels opened up, and eight large odd pieces of metal emerged from the holes._ "This puzzle of a Duel is not over yet…"_ Then, two of the panels clacked together, forming what looked like a large 3D top-left-corner jigsaw piece. The other six panels also attached to each other to make three more 3D jigsaw pieces of the other corners. All of them had what appeared to be pieces of a picture on their faces. _"You escaped Rubillax's wrath, but I still have this ace up my sleeve!"_ The pieces slowly floated toward the poisonous machine, then the top-left corner piece overlaid itself over a corner of the machine. The top-right and bottom-left pieces attached themselves to the top-left piece, clacking into place like jigsaw puzzles, and the bottom-right piece followed suit, creating a large (but relatively thin) rectangular box. With the pieces together, their image became seen: A circular face with two triangular ears, a black stripe with two slit-like eyes, and an iconic ovular snout… the face of a pig. _"This is my backup: Jigsaw Swine!"_ The pig face's eyes flashed, and a creepy metallic squeal came from it.

_**(A/N: Imagine Pigma from Star Fox Command.)**_

**Jigsaw Swine: Lv.10 DARK Machine ATK:0/DEF:3000 (Defense Mode)**

"What on Earth is that…?" Akari wondered.

_"Be patient, woman… The set-up for this challenge is not done yet."_ Cube Mask said. _"I will finish the set-up with this! Continuous Trap, hatsudo! **Thousand Gaze**!"_ The minute the face-up card hit the field, Jigsaw Swine let out a loud metallic squeal as its slit-like eyes widened into ungodly creepy eyes that were nothing but purple scleras, aside from having cat-slit pupils. AR images began popping up all around the field, projecting more of these eyes everywhere.

"Nanda?" Spade wondered. Then, all of the eyes glowed harshly, giving Tethys, Incarnate, Mirage, and Crazy Box a harmful purple aura. Crazy Box didn't react due to being a box, but the other monsters were clearly suffering, Godspeed falling to one knee and Incarnate dropping his sword.

_"There is nowhere for you to run now…"_ Cube Mask breathed. _"So long as Thousand Gaze is active, monsters in Attack Mode cannot attack or change their battle positions, and their effects are negated. All of your monsters have been rendered helpless before me."_ Akari and Spade gulped. _"If you still wish to continue, you must destroy both Jigsaw Swine AND Thousand Gaze. However, Jigsaw Swine prevents the destruction of Trap Cards so long as it remains in Defense Mode. Use whatever brain power you have left, if you have any left. Turn end."_

"And you called MY insults bad." Spade jeered.

Akari wasn't in the mood for jokes, however. "Watashi no turn! Draw!" The minute she drew her card, however, Jigsaw Swine let out a metallic squeal and spewed the same purple gas from the jigsaw cracks on its body toward Akari and Spade. Both of them coughed as the gas surrounded them. "N-Nani?"

**Akari LP:2100**

**Spade LP:2400**

_"Jigsaw Swine no kouka hatsudo. Each time any of us draws a card during the Draw Phase, it will release a wave of its special gas and damage both of you for 400 points."_ Cube Mask said. _"You ruined my appetite for games, so now I'll just watch you wither away."_

Akari tried waving the gas away, managing to get some clear vision. Even though this was only AR, the gas seemed noxious enough to make her choke. She finally got around to seeing her card: **Little Blaster Angel**. _'Kuso! This can't help! Even though it can attack directly, Cube Mask can't take any Battle Damage!'_ Groaning, she could only take one option. "I'm not playing any cards! Turn end!"

"Ore no turn! Draw!" Spade drew his card. Another squeal from the metallic puzzle signaled another wave of the inky purple gas. "Ugh… I'm think I'm *cough cough* gonna puke."

**Akari LP:1700**

**Spade LP:2000**

Spade looked at his hand and frowned. "Kuso, kuso, kuso! I've got the cards I need to crack this combo… but I need to attack to pull this off!" He groaned. "You know just how to piss us off, Cube Head!" Cube Mask didn't respond. "…Kaado ni mai settei! Turn end!" Two facedowns emerged.

_"You have failed to complete this challenge, so you must pay the penalty: Each of you will have one Magic or Trap Card of yours destroyed!"_ A taser gadget emerged from the wall and fired a blast of electricity that struck Tethys, not destroying her, but destroying Cestus of Dagla. From another panel, however, something that appeared to be some sort of turret emerged and unloaded machine gun fire, littering one of Spade's facedowns (Graceful Revival) with holes before it exploded.

Tethys ATK:2400

_"Watashi no turn! Draw!"_ He drew his card as his traps retreated into the wall, and Jigsaw Swine unloaded another wave of poison gas.

**Akari LP:1300**

**Spade LP:1600**

_"Rule Number 1 of playing a game: Do not make the game master angry."_ Cube Mask said as Jigsaw Swine's eyes started glowing brighter than they already were. _ "If you do, it might just become more than a game…"_

* * *

Author-Made Cards_  
_

Jigsaw Swine  
Level 10 DARK Machine  
ATK:0/DEF:3000  
Cannot be Summoned unless you control a face-up "Death Cube". This card can attack while in Defense Position. If this card attacks while in Defense Position, apply the DEF of this card for damage calculation. While this card is in face-up defense Position: Face-up Trap Cards you control cannot be destroyed. Each time a card is drawn during any player's Draw Phase: Inflict 400 damage to your opponent(s).

Little Blaster Angel  
Level 2 LIGHT Fairy  
ATK:600/DEF:1500  
This card can be Normal Summoned in face-up Defense Position. While this card is in face-up Defense Position, it can attack your opponent directly. If it does, apply the original ATK of this card for damage calculation.

Number 48: Godspeed Mirage  
Rank 2 WIND Warrior/Xyz  
ATK:2700/DEF:300  
4 Level 2 monsters  
Up to twice per turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; this card gains an additional attack for each detached Xyz Material. If it attacks directly with an attack granted by this effect: The Battle Damage is halved. (OCG/TCG: Can't attack directly at all if it uses this effect)

Crazy Cube Recycling  
Normal Spell Card  
Target 1 "Number 85: Crazy Box" you control: Attach up to 5 "Cube" Trap Cards from your Graveyard to that target as Xyz Materials.

Thousand Gaze  
Continuous Trap Card  
Attack Position monsters cannot attack or change their battle position, and their effects are negated.

* * *

**Vile: They're out of the fire, but they're still on the frying pan. Akari and Spade aren't finished with Cube Mask yet!**

**Spade: Dude, how do you come up with all these funky effects on these cards?**

**Vile: You do NOT want to know, Spade. When your Duel requires odd circumstances, you have to take lore-making into your own hands.**

**Spade: Makes me glad I Duel with cards instead of design cards.**

**Vile: I figured you'd say that. XD Anyway, if you guys liked this chapter despite being shorter, leave a review for me! Ja ne for now!**

**Computer Voice: Vile, logging out.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Vile: Aaaaaaaand here I am again, folks, present and packing Chapter 5 of Numbershot 85! ...And I'm outta words. XD Let's just get into this. Enjoy, folks!**

* * *

Numbershot 85: Crazy Gauntlet

Chapter 5

_"__Now, time to feel MY end of the onslaught. Jigsaw Swine, attack the speedy one's Number!" _With a flash of its eyes, Swine let out another loud metallic squeal and faced its target. _"Jigsaw Swine can attack while in Defense Mode, and it uses its Defense Points to calculate damage, preventing Thousand Gaze from halting its progress!"_ At that moment, the center of Swine's front opened up in four hatches, spewing a stream of the purple gases directly from the mechanical heart.

Godspeed Mirage recoiled in fear. "Sometimes, old buddy… sacrifices have to be made." Spade's Number looked confused at his owner's words. "Trap Card, **Sonic Kid Wonder**, hatsudo! This card Special Summons itself as a monster!" From the card, a blue blur shot out, zipping around the field before slowing down (but still running), showing itself as a human boy of only 13, dressed in a superhero outfit that looked almost identical to that of Godspeed Mirage, but the jumpsuit and armor colors were reversed (a green jumpsuit with blue armor), a "Domino mask" instead of a visor, and a yellow cape on his back.

**Sonic Kid Wonder: Lv.2 WIND Warrior ATK:1200/DEF:300 (Defense Mode)**

"And unfortunately, if I activate Sonic Kid Wonder in response to an attack, he automatically becomes the attack target!" Out of nowhere, Sonic Kid Wonder dashed right in front of Godspeed Mirage before dashing straight toward the stream of gas, Mirage holding out an arm as if to tell him not to. Wonder didn't see him, however, and started punching away the gas with a flurry of fist attacks. However, he felt his strength falter very quickly, and realizing he was beat, Wonder stopped punching and merely threw his arms in front of himself, blocking the gas to the best of his ability. Mirage could only look on as Wonder finally keeled over, falling onto his back and exploding as the gas dispersed. The older superhero's fist clenched as he glared at the piggish machine.

_"__So, the Number's little helper falls in battle… I'll see to it that he himself falls soon enough!"_ Cube Mask declared. _"But for now, I'll settle for one of the woman's monsters._ _Trap Card, __**Cube Flamethrower**__, hatsudo! This card destroys one monster on the field!"_ The flamethrower gadget from earlier came out of the wall and shot out a stream of fire that incinerated The Creator Incarnate, reducing him to charcoal. Cube Mask replaced the Trap through Death Cube as the flamethrower retreated into the wall. _"That will do for now. Turn end."_

"Watashi no turn! Draw!" Akari drew her card, only to get another wave of toxic gases from Jigsaw Swine.

**Akari LP:900**

**Spade LP:1200**

Akari panted a bit. _ 'Okay… I need to figure out what I can do, if anything.' _She looked at her hand. _'The only card I can actually battle with is Little Blaster Angel… but it's not like it can break Cube Mask's combo…'_

At that moment, Spade's words from earlier flashed through her head:**_ "_****I've got the cards I need to crack this combo… but I need to attack to pull this off!"**

_'__Maybe…'_ She wondered. She decided to test it. "Spade!"

"Eh?"

"You said you have the cards to beat this combo! Can you pull it off if I attack?"

"Yeah. Why?" Spade wondered.

Akari smiled confidently. "Follow my lead! Little Blaster Angel, Shoukan!" Her monster emerged as a cherub-like angel figure dressed in a helmet and a white Kevlar vest, holding what looked like a potato gun that had a Cupid arrow loaded in the barrel. "This card can be Normal Summoned in face-up Defense Mode!"

**Little Blaster Angel: Lv.2 LIGHT Fairy ATK:600/DEF:1500 (Defense Mode)**

"When in Defense Mode, Little Blaster Angel can attack directly, using its original Attack Points for damage calculation!" Blaster Angel hefted the launcher on his shoulder and pointed it forward, directly at the AR screen. "Direct attack!" Closing one eye to aim, Blaster Angel, fired off the arrow like a rocket.

_"__Why do that? Your attack will do no damage!"_ Cube Mask stated as the arrow whizzed right through the hologram, only causing minor static.

**Cube Mask LP:6000**

"I didn't need to damage you to do this! Spade!" Akari said.

Spade nodded. "Trap Card, **Trampled Sprinter**, hatsudo! When a monster successfully attacks, I can choose a face-up Magic or Trap Card and place it face-down!"

_"__NANI?!"_ Cube Mask gasped as Thousand Gaze moved back to face-down. Jigsaw Swine's eyes waned before closing back into slits, the many AR screens of eyes vanishing. The aura that coated Godspeed and Tethys vanished, and both monsters felt their strength return, Godspeed backflipping in the air and striking a pose. _"Grrrrrrr…! How are you so… so knowledgeable?! My information says you are not a Duelist!"_

"I'm not one NOW, but I DID Duel before." Akari said. "But Dueling is like riding a bike or driving a car: You never forget everything you learned. Turn end!"

_"__Curse you…"_ Cube Mask said.

"Keep getting mad, buddy! You've been ticking us off the whole time!" Spade jeered. "Ore no turn! Draw!" In spite of getting their power back, Akari and Spade still weren't immune to Jigsaw Swine's poison.

**Akari LP:500**

**Spade LP:800**

"No worries! Equip Magic, **Silver Sword**, hatsudo!" Godspeed Mirage held out his hand, and a highly-stylized sword with both a silver blade and silver hilt appeared in his grasp. "When equipped to a Rank 2 monster, that monster gains 400 Attack Points for each of its Overlay Units!"

**Godspeed Mirage ATK:3500**

"Godspeed Mirage, attack Jigsaw Swine!" Twirling his sword, Godspeed Mirage did a rather simple move: Dashing right past the pig-faced machine and dashing back to his spot. However, his new sword gleamed, and at that moment, more than 20 slash marks appeared all over Swine's body, making it snort and squeal in apparent pain before exploding violently. "And with that piece of junk destroyed, I can finish this challenge now! Quick-Play Magic, Mystical Space Typhoon, hatsudo! This destroys any Magic or Trap Card on the field, and I choose that face-down: Thousand Gaze!" A tornado billowed from the card and swept up Thousand Gaze, obliterating it.

_"__Curses… Challenge 4 is complete…"_ Cube Mask admitted. Crazy Box spun to show its "4" face, whose hatches closed before it was X'ed-over.

**Number 85: Crazy Box: 4 Completion Counters**

"So much for your backup challenge! We'll be outta here in no time!" Spade chirped. "Let's see if you've got anything left, Cube Head! Turn end!"

Cube Mask was silent for a moment. _"Watashi no turn… Draw!"_ He drew his card. _"Death Cube no kouka hatsudo!" _ Crazy Box shot into the air, falling to the ground and landing on the X'ed-out "6". Cube Mask didn't even say anything as Crazy Box re-rolled three times, landing on "1" and "4" before finally landing on the valid "3"._ "Challenge 3, engage." _Crazy Box moved back to the Magic/Trap Zone again, and five new monsters emerged on the field: Tiny blockish-looking monsters colored red, blue, green, yellow, and white, all of which having horns (of different styles), tiny arms and legs, and a tail.

Red/Blue/Green/Yellow/White Duston: Lv.1 FIRE/WATER/WIND/EARTH/LIGHT (in that order) Fiend ATK:0/DEF:1000 (Type, Level, ATK, and DEF are the same for all)

_"__Five monsters identical in almost every way. Unlike the last challenges, this one is not simply obliterating them."_ Cube Mask explained. White Duston hopped up and down. _"White Duston is your target. Watch."_ All of a sudden, the five Dustons turned into face-down cards and began shuffling around before resting. _"Find the hidden White Duston among the crowd, and the challenge is complete. During this challenge, however, the two of you can only attack once per Battle Phase, so your Number can't make this easier, speedy one."_ Spade snorted. _"Should you fail to find White Duston in two attacks, you will fail this challenge, and the Dustons you did destroy will be returned to do it all over. Turn end."_

"That really doesn't seem like a challenge. It's more like a guessing game." Spade mused.

"Not really." Akari said, confusing Spade. "Watashi no turn! Draw!" She drew her card. "Tethys, Goddess of Light no kouka hatsudo!" She showed the card to Cube Mask, revealing it was another copy of Shining Angel. "If I ever draw a Fairy-Type monster, I can show it to you and draw again!" She drew another card and smirked, showing it to Cube Mask: Herald of Orange Light. Since it was another Fairy-Type, she drew again. This one was The Shallow Grave, so she didn't draw again. "Herald of Orange Light, Shoukan!" Orange crystal grew out of the ground, shattering to reveal metallic object very much like Herald of Purple Light, only looking more like a double-open-ended shape with the same orange crystal growing from both ends, two orange wings, and two small arms.

Herald of Orange Light: Lv.2 LIGHT Fairy/Tuner ATK:300/DEF:500

"Watashi wa Reberu Ni no Herald of Orange Light to, Little Blaster Angel de Obarei!" Both her monsters turned fully yellow before shooting into the air in a spiral. A red spiral portal opened up, and both her monsters sailed inside. "Ni tai no monsuta de, Obarei Netwaaku kochiku! Ekushiizu Shoukan!" From where the portal was, three bunches of bright yellow-green crystal grew out of the ground in the same fashion as Orange Light's Summon. The crystal bunches on the side cracked to reveal two arms that resembled Herald of Purple Light's shape, but they were still attached to the main bunch with part of the crystal, and they ended with a fist on each. "Ideyo, Herald of Pure Light!" Then, the center crystal bunch shattered, revealing what the two arms were connected to: A shape resembling Herald of Orange Light, but the wings were positioned on the front, making them look like eyebrows on a bird-like metallic head. Two yellow Overlay Units circled this odd angelic being.

Herald of Pure Light: Rank 2 LIGHT Fairy/Xyz ATK:600/DEF:1000 2 Overlay Units (Defense Mode)

"Ritual Magic, Dawn of the Herald, hatsudo! To use this card, I have to release monsters from my hand or field whose Levels total exactly 6!" More crystal grew out of the ground, this one being much larger and being iridescent. "Soul of Purity and Light, release!" The image of a semi-transparent female angel spirit appeared and infused itself into the rainbow crystal, making it grow brighter and start cracking violently. "Gishiki Shoukan!" Finally, the crystal shattered to reveal yet another metallic form. This one appeared to be a combination of Herald of Purple Light, Herald of Orange Light, and Herald of Green Light, stacked on top of each other into a pseudo-humanoid form with four arms (the main arms being bigger), two legs, two small rainbow wings attached right above its legs, holes all over its body that allowed rainbow light to shine out, a single "eye", and two large rainbow wings that were currently positioned in front of its body. "Arawareyo… Herald of Perfection!" With a flash of its eye, Perfection spread its wings with a flash of rainbow light.

Herald of Perfection: Lv.6 LIGHT Fairy/Ritual ATK:1800/DEF:2800 (Defense Mode)

_"__Egh…"_ Cube Mask groaned.

"That was only precautions." Akari said. "Now to attack! Tethys!" She pointed at the mid-right face-down. "Attack that one!" Gathering light energy into her hands, Tethys fired a powerful beam of light at the target, revealing it as the designated target, White Duston, and destroying it. "I've played a shell game before. All it takes is paying attention to the cup, or card, I want." At that moment, the other four Dustons revealed themselves before exploding.

_"__Curse you… Challenge 3 is completed."_ Crazy Box moved back into a Monster Zone, showing its "3" face, which closed its hatches and was X'ed-over.

**Number 85: Crazy Box: 5 Completion Counters.**

"Yosh! Only one challenge left to go!" Spade chirped. Cube Mask could only growl.

"Turn end!"

"Ore no turn! Draw!" Spade drew his card. "You know, I just realized something. Godspeed Mirage has more than enough power to take Crazy Box down now!" Godspeed's "48" appeared on his shoulder. "I'm getting us out of this stupid gauntlet early! Godspeed Mirage, attack Crazy Box!" Smirking, Godspeed dashed straight toward the fiendish die, Silver Sword at the ready, but the minute the sword struck Crazy Box, it stopped short with a "CLANG", Godspeed shaking from the shock of the impact.

"You can't destroy Crazy Box so long as Death Cube is still in effect." Cube Mask said. "You're stuck under my gauntlet until you complete my final challenge."

"Kuso… Fine! Hit us with your best shot! Turn end!" Spade challenged.

_"__You asked for it. Watashi no turn. Draw."_ Cube Mask drew his card. _"Magic Card, __**Trap Reconfiguration**__, hatsudo! This card returns all Trap Cards on my field to my hand, shuffles my hand to my Deck, and then lets me draw cards equal to half the number of cards I returned, rounded down if an odd number." _The process underwent itself, and Cube Mask had a new hand. _"Death Cube no kouka hatsudo. Since only one challenge is left, I'll speed this up."_ Crazy Box soared into the air again, but this time, it stopped dead in mid-air and crashed into the ground with its "5" face up. _"Challenge 5, engage." _Nothing seemed to happen.

"So… what's the challenge?" Akari asked.

_"__Simple… You must land a direct attack._ _During this challenge, Crazy Box's presence is irrelevant. You may attack me directly with another monster."_ Cube Mask told her. _"This is your final challenge… Turn end."_

"That's a challenge? It sounds more like you gave up!" Spade said.

"Then let's get this over with. Watashi no turn! Draw!" Akari drew her card. "Herald of Pure Light no kouka hatsudo! By using an Overlay Unit, I can add one monster from my Graveyard to my hand!" One of the yellow orbs was absorbed into Pure Light's "beak", and Akari took Herald of Purple Light back into her hand. "Also, I then shuffle one card from my hand back into my Deck!" She re-shuffled The Shadow Grave.

Herald of Pure Light: 1 Overlay Unit

"I switch both Herald of Pure Light and Herald of Perfection to Attack Mode!" Both Heralds' "eyes" seemed to flash. "Let's end this. Herald of Pure Light… direct attack!" Pure Light's eyes began to glow brighter.

_"__You… BAKA!" _Cube Mask suddenly shouted. _"Five Trap Cards, HATSUDO!" _In a flash, five panels opened up in Death Cube all around Akari, revealing a turret, a taser, a spiked wall, an odd hose, and a sort of air pump. "DIE!" The five traps then fired bullets, electricity, spikes, and poison gas, and a mini-tornado.

Spade's eyes widened in fear. "AKARI!" With a flash of his Number, Spade made a mad dash toward Akari as the traps were incoming. Akari could only stand there in fear. Spade managed to reach her, but at that moment, the traps made impact… leaving only an explosion behind…

_"__HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…"_

* * *

Author-Made Cards

Little Blaster Angel  
Level 2 LIGHT Fairy  
ATK:600/DEF:1500  
This card can be Normal Summoned in face-up Defense Position. While this card is in face-up Defense Position, it can attack your opponent directly. If it does, apply the original ATK of this card for damage calculation.

Silver Sword  
Equip Spell Card  
Equip only to a Level 2 or Rank 2 monster. Apply 1 of the following effect depending on whether the equipped monster is Level 2 or Rank 2:  
* Level 2: Double the equipped monster's ATK.  
* Rank 2: The equipped monster gains 400 ATK for each Xyz Material attached to it.

Trap Reconfiguration  
Normal Spell Card  
Return all Trap Cards on your side of the field to your hand. If you do, shuffle your hand into your Deck, then draw a number of cards equal to half the number of cards returned by this effect (rounded down).

Sonic Kid Wonder  
Continuous Trap Card  
Special Summon this card as an Effect Monster (Warrior-Type/WIND/Level 2/ATK:1200/DEF:300). (This card is also still a Trap Card.) If this card is activated in response to an attack: This Special Summoned card becomes the attack target.

Cube Flamethrower  
Normal Trap Card  
Cannot be activated unless you control a face-up "Death Cube". Destroy 1 monster on the field.

Trampled Sprinter (TCG: The Racer Ran Over Him!)  
Normal Trap Card  
When an attack is successful: Target 1 face-up Spell or Trap Card on the field: Set that card face-down.

* * *

**Vile: Cliffhangers for the drama! Have the five hidden Traps of Cube Mask finally sealed Akari and Spade's fates? Or have they somehow survived? Stay tuned to find out! If you guys liked this chapter, leave a review for me! Ja ne for no!**

**Computer Voice: Vile, logging out.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Vile: Finally, we reach the end of this tense Numbershot.**

**RK777: Man, once we got over that hump with Rubillax, this story seemed to come easy, didn't it?**

**Vile: Sorta. That Jigsaw Swine part still left a sour taste in my mouth.**

**RK777: ...Yeah, good point. I noticed the ending deviated from what we originally intended. What brought that up?**

**Vile: Feedback from Y-Tak. He apparently thought the old ending seemed a little crappy in hindsight, and I had to admit, he was right, so I changed it. Now our readers (yes, OUR readers; you helped me, after all (: ) can see the true ending. Enjoy, folks!**

* * *

Numbershot 85: Crazy Gauntlet

Chapter 6

The smoke from the explosion was still as thick as ever as all five Traps retreated back into the wall. _"There was no way either of them survived this sort of onslaught, much less the woman…** Cube Auto-Turret** destroyed and banished Herald of Pure Light. **Cube Poison Gas** destroyed both of her monsters AND inflicted 1000 points of damage, 500 for each. **Cube Taser** compounded 500 more damage onto that. **Cube Spikes** destroyed all Magic and Trap Cards on her field. And to finish, **Cube Vacuum** banishes her entire hand and deals 300 more damage for each card banished. No one could survive all of that."_

"Didn't anyone tell you not to say that sentence, ever?" Spade's familiar voice called from within the smoke.

Cube Mask gasped. _"No… NO!"_ A familiar green blur dashed back and forth, clearing out the smoke and revealing that Akari was completely untouched. Spade screeched to a halt next to her, also untouched.

**Akari LP:200**

_"BAKANA!"_ Cube Mask cried. _"Even if my traps didn't kill you, you should have no Life Points! How is this possible?!"_

Akari and Spade smiled. "That's a funny story, actually."

*Flashback* *Standard Bold is Akari Narrating, Bold and Italics are Spade Narrating*

_**"You see, when you activated those Traps, I raced toward Akari, as you could see. But thanks to my speed, I was able to get a look at what your Trap Cards said in an instant."**_ Time seemed to slow down as Spade ran, and he got a look at the lore boxes of Cube Mask's Traps. While time was still slowed, Spade managed to make it to Akari and grab her arm._** "Then I used a handy little sub-power of super speed: By vibrating both of our bodies extremely quickly, I was able to render us intangible, letting the traps pass right through us!"**_ Spade scrunched his face, and he and Akari seemed to gain trace images, which made the bullets, spikes, and tornado pass right through them and hit the ground to cause the explosion, the first of these riddling Herald of Pure Light with holes and obliterating it, and the second lancing Akari's entire back row and clearing it out.

**"I couldn't react in time, so Spade helped out my next moves. He used Herald of Purple Light's effect, sending it and Shining Angel from my hand to the Graveyard to negate the activation and effect of Cube Poison Gas."** Herald of Purple Light re-emerged with its purple glow, absorbing Shining Angel's image again and projecting a purple barrier that prevented the poison gas from touching them and Tethys.** "Then he used Herald of Perfection's effect, sending Herald of Green Light to the Graveyard to the Graveyard to do the same to Cube Taser."** A monster identical to Purple Light, only with green crystal and a green glow, appeared and projected a green barrier that blocked the electricity. **"That left me with only one card in my hand, so Vacuum only inflicted 300 damage despite leaving me with no hand. Auto-Turret and Spikes still served their purpose, though."**

*End Flashback*

_"This… This can't be… You've thwarted me at every single turn…"_ Cube Mask whimpered. _"How is this possible…?"_

"I wish I had an answer… But for now, that doesn't matter." Akari said. "Tethys, attack Cube Mask directly!" The goddess gathered light energy into her hands and fired her laser beam, shooting it right past Crazy Box and impacting the AR screen Cube Mask was using, causing it to static up greatly.

_"CURSES!"_ He yelled. Crazy Box turned to show its final valid face, which closed all five of its hatches and was X'ed-over. With all six faces crossed out, Crazy Box shook like it was shuddering before falling to the ground.

**Number 85: Crazy Box: 6 Completion Counters**

"WE DID IT!" Spade cheered. "That's all six challenges! We're done!"

_"Not… yet…"_ Cube Mask groaned, confusing Spade. _"All clearing the challenges does is negate the effects of both Crazy Box and Death Cube… You still have to actually WIN this Duel!" _The box rumbled, light coming from its creases. Then, the "1" face's hatch was blown clean off, revealing its pink eye again. _"This fight... is NOT OVER!" _Black tentacles burst out from the other hatches, then the box's faces were blown clean off, revealing the form underneath: A single massive pink eye with numerous black tentacles protruding from the base.

"Whoa!" Akari and Spade cried.

_"This is the true form of Crazy Box, and on my next turn, you will know its power!" _The true form of Crazy Box had a flash of its eye.

"We'll see about that!" Akari said. "Turn end!"

"Ore no turn! Draw!" Spade drew his card. "With Death Cube inactive, Crazy Box isn't protected anymore! Godspeed Mirage, attack Crazy Box!" Godspeed twirled his sword around.

_"I won't let you win so easily! Quick-Play Magic, **Overlay Block**, hatsudo! By using 3 Overlay Units from Crazy Box, I can negate your attack and stop your Battle Phase cold!"_ Three of the purple orbs flew off of Crazy Box, converged in front of Mirage, and the minute the Number tried to dash forward, they projected a purple barrier that Godspeed slammed face-first into, stumbling backwards woozily.

"Ouch…" Spade mused. "Well, there's always next turn. Magic Card, **Silver Medal**, hatsudo! By discarding a card from my hand, I can Special Summon a Level 2 monster from my Deck!" He discarded Hero Kid. "Decoyroid, Tokushu Shoukan!" His monster emerged as a small red car that almost looked like a toy.

Decoyroid: Lv.2 WIND Machine ATK:300/DEF:500 (Defense Mode)

"Kaado ni mai settei! Turn end!" Two facedowns emerged.

_"Watashi no turn! Draw!"_ Cube Mask drew his card. _"Crazy Box, attack Tethys, Goddess of Light!"_ Crazy Box leapt forward, intent on snaring the goddess with its tentacles.

"Can't you read? Since Decoyroid is on the field, you can't attack any monster besides it!" Spade told him. The toy car jumped in front of Tethys, right into the path of the tentacles. Crazy Box ensnared it, held it aloft, and pulled hard, ripping the toy car clean in half.

Cube Mask growled. _"Turn end!"_

"Watashi no turn! Draw!" Akari drew her card.

"Hey Akari, you didn't happen to get a Level 4 monster, did you?" Spade asked. Akari showed him the card: Monster Reborn. "Good! Use it on a Level 4! It might help!"

"If you say s-" Akari stopped and thought for a moment. She snapped her fingers. "Yeah, that WILL help! Magic Card, Shisha Sosei (Monster Reborn), hatsudo! The Creator Incarnate, Tokushu Shoukan!" From a purple portal, her red-armored warrior with the red sword re-emerged onto the field.

The Creator Incarnate: Lv.4 LIGHT Warrior ATK:1600/DEF:1500

"Perfect! Trap Card, **Synchro Resonance**, hatsudo! Since a monster was Special Summoned, I can Special Summon a Tuner Monster with the same Level as that monster to the same field as that monster!" He took a card that slid out from his Deck and threw it to Akari. "Road Synchron, Tokushu Shoukan!" Akari Summoned the monster, which was a yellow-armored machine with two treads for legs.

Road Synchron: Lv.4 LIGHT Machine/Tuner ATK:1600/DEF:800

"Arigatou, Spade! Now we have what we need to win!" Akari said.

_"Nani?"_ Cube Mask wondered.

"Watashi wa, Reberu Yon no Creator Incarnate to, Road Synchron de Obarei!" Both monsters on Akari's field turned fully yellow before shooting into the air in a spiral. A red spiral portal opened up in front of her, which crackled with electricity for some reason, and both monsters sailed inside. "Ni tai no hikarizokusei (LIGHT Attribute) monsuta de, Obarei Netwaaku kochiku! Ekushiizu Shoukan!" Lightning billowed from the portal as the monster's form emerged: An adult male with pale skin and golden hair coming down to his mid-back, dressed in a white-and-gold military uniform of some sort, holding a huge weapon of some sort on his back. "Arawareyo… Biriri Blaster!" Smirking, Blaster pulled the weapon off his back and pointed it forward: A massive gray metallic cannon shaped like a rectangular prism, with a huge trigger coming out of the bottom. Two yellow Overlay Units orbited the soldier.

**Biriri Blaster: Rank 4 LIGHT Fairy/Xyz ATK:1500/DEF:1500 2 Overlay Units**

_"Only 1500 Attack Points?"_ Cube Mask wondered.

"Not for long. Biriri Blaster no kouka hatsudo!" One of the yellow orbs was absorbed into the front of the cannon, which opened its frontal side and began charging electrical energy. "By using an Overlay Unit, it gains 500 Attack Points for every LIGHT monster in my Graveyard until the end of the Battle Phase!" Images of all 10 LIGHT monsters Akari had in the Graveyard appeared. Spade smiled at seeing the three Heralds among them. Then, all of them converted into orbs of lightning and flew into the opening of the cannon, causing a massive power surge.

**Biriri Blaster ATK:6500 1 Overlay Unit**

_"6500 Attack Points?!"_ Cube Mask cried.

"And the bad news keeps on coming! Trap Card, **Mirage Vacuum**, hatsudo!" Godspeed Mirage began running in place, gaining a green glow. "By releasing a Rank 2 Xyz Monster I control, I can target one monster you control… and reduce its Attack Points by the Attack Points of the monster I released! Godspeed Mirage has more Attack Points that Crazy Box does… so it goes straight down to zero!" Mirage became nothing but green energy before dashing towards Crazy Box and running very small circles around it, creating a vacuum that made the cube shudder.

Crazy Box ATK:0

_"NO!"_

"Biriri Blaster, attack Crazy Box!" A large orb of electric energy started forming in the mouth of the cannon. "Biribiribiri… BLAST!" With a loud "BANG", the cannon fired a powerful beam of yellow, blue, and purple energy straight toward Crazy Box, smashing straight through its eye. A loud, pained, gurgling roar sounded from the creature before its body was completely obliterated by the lightning blast.

_"Uuuh… Uggghhh…"_ Cube Mask groaned as if weak as the AR screen staticed up, before the screen finally cut out.

**Akari LP:200**

**Spade LP:800**

**Cube Mask LP:0 – LOSER**

The buzzer blared, showing Spade and Akari's faces with the word "WIN". "YEAH!" Spade yelled with a skyward punch. "I knew we were getting out of here alive!" He and Akari high-fived.

Then, the Death Cube Field Spell actually started to recede, revealing that it was actually a simulation after all: They were in what appeared to be an abandoned factory, with odd machines located everywhere. They were located on a mere platform in the room. "So… none of it was real?" Akari wondered.

Spade crossed his arms. "That cube-headed jerk! He tricked us into thinking we were in danger! We went through all this for nothing!"

"Makes you wonder what would've happened if one of us lost." Akari said.

"Cube Head probably didn't think this through." Spade said. He then saw a door on one side of the room. "Hey, over there!" He took a step, but he felt something under his feet. "Eh?"

Akari looked down before bending over and picking up some of the objects: Nails, metal shards, and other sharp metal objects. "Is this… shrapnel?"

Spade looked around, seeing holes in the walls. "What the heck happened here?"

Akari noticed multiple mechanical arms in the factory, many of them equipped with odd gadgets. She walked over and examined one of the arms, Spade joining her. "Hmm… I can't tell what this is… but it looks pretty out of shape. A lot of rust on it."

"Dirty as heck, too. But it doesn't look like it fits here, does it?" Spade asked.

"No. None of these devices do." Akari replied.

Spade then saw a button. "Do I dare push this button?" Shrugging, Spade pushed it, causing the odd machine to rumble for a moment… and expel a jet of flame. "WHOA!"

Akari stared at the flames until they died down. "A… flamethrower…" She looked across the floor. "Those areas look liked they exploded… and there's more shrapnel!"

"Look at this thing!" Spade saw, making Akari look at a familiar gadget.

"That looks like the Cube Taser." She said. Pushing a button after making sure it wasn't pointed at Akari, Spade ended up making the gadget fire the same sort of electric streams. Akari gulped. "It… It IS the Cube Taser… and that's the Cube Flamethrower… which means…"

Spade also gulped grimly. "…It WAS real… We really WERE in danger."

They were both nervous now. Finally, Akari spoke again. "…Come on. Cube Mask has to be here somewhere. Let's check that door you found." Spade nodded and followed her to the door. When they went through it, they found a control panel and a chair… and a familiar face in the chair. "Cube Mask!"

"Hey, Cube Head!" Spade called. Cube Mask didn't move. Annoyed, Spade walked over to him. "Hey, I'm talkin' to- whoa." Akari walked over and saw that Cube Mask wasn't what they thought he was: His cloak was pretty tattered, and his mask was all dirty. "Hello…?" He waved his hand in front of the mask, but Cube Mask only leaned back... snapping the rusty back of the chair off and sending himself to the ground. When he impacted the ground, his mask fell came off his face. Akari and Spade gasped. Though out-cold and having a grimy face, they both recognized him…

"Ch… CHARLIE?!"

*Later* *At the Hospital*

Akari and Spade were in the waiting room, Akari sitting worriedly in a chair while Spade was pacing. On their way to the hospital, Spade placed a call to Kaito about the Number. Finally, a doctor came out. "Doctor, how is he?" Akari asked.

The doctor sighed. "He's in pretty bad shape. What happened to him?"

"We don't know… we just found him that way." Spade told him. "What's wrong with him?"

"We checked all of Mr. McCoy's vitals, and while he'll recover, he's dehydrated, half-starved, and sleep-deprived." The doctor said. "He also has multiple bruises and cuts, as if he was working with heavy machinery." Akari and Spade gasped, looking at each other. "Whatever he was doing… he almost killed himself trying to do it." Akari put her hands to her mouth, and Spade audibly gulped. "You were lucky you found him when you did. He might not have made it otherwise."

The two young adults sighed. "…Can we see him?" Akari asked.

"He's asleep right now, but yes, you can." The doctor led Akari and Spade inside. Charlie McCoy lay asleep on the hospital bed, hooked up to a steadily beeping heart monitor. Though his face was cleaned up, he still looked awful, cuts and bruises visible on his hands. He also seemed to have lost a bit of weight from all he was doing. The doctor left the room for a moment, leaving Akari and Spade with him.

"Charlie…" Akari breathed.

"Why did you do all of this, man…?" Spade asked the unconscious man. "Rigging up all of these machines… to try and kill us? Why Akari? Why me?"

"You know him, Spade?" Akari asked.

Spade nodded. "Remember that dumb-ass cousin of mine I mentioned when you first met me?" Akari nodded. "That's him."

"You're Charlie's cousin… I didn't know."

"Yeah, Charlie never really talked much about personal stuff."

"We're here, Spade." A voice said as the door opened, revealing Kaito and Jenaveve.

"Glad you got here. It's in him." Spade said, pointing at Charlie.

"Good lord… What happened to him?" Jenaveve asked.

"I wish we knew for sure." Akari said.

Kaito and Jenaveve nodded and combined Photon Hand and Soul Power, reaching into Charlie's body to obtain the Number. However, the minute they touched it, pain went through Jenaveve. "AH!"

"Jen-chan!" Kaito said.

"This darkness… it's unreal!" Jenaveve groaned as she and Kaito pulled Number 85: Crazy Box out of Charlie. "Vector must have really enhanced this one… Exposure to this darkness would certainly take someone over in an instant."

Akari gasped. "…Yuma said something like that… There are supposedly Numbers that corrupt immediately upon Summon. Tetsuo had the prototype… Maybe this is one of the finished ones."

"If Charlie was possessed… he might not have known what he was doing. Crazy Box might've been giving all the orders." Spade mused. He stared intently at the cube Number. "Crazy Box… What the hell did you do to my cousin?" The eye on the card's artwork seemed to stare back unflinchingly, as if taunting Spade.

If this Number could do all of this to Charlie… what else could these cards do?

* * *

Author-Made Cards

Biriri Blaster  
Rank 4 LIGHT Fairy/Xyz  
ATK:1500/DEF:1500  
2 Level 4 LIGHT monsters  
Once per turn, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card: This card gains 500 (400 in the OCG/TCG) ATK until the end of the Battle Phase (except the Xyz Material detached for this effect).

Death Cube (TCG: Survival Cube)  
Field Spell Card  
During your Main Phase: You can treat all monsters you control as Level 4 monsters (if they are not already Level 4), and if you do, Xyz Summon 1 "Number 85: Crazy Box" using all monsters you control as the Xyz Materials. (Xyz Materials attached to Xyz Monsters used as an Xyz Material are attached to the Xyz Summoned monster as Xyz Materials.) "Number 85: Crazy Box" cannot be removed from the field. This card's controller takes no damage. When a Trap Card activated by this card's controller leaves the field: That player can Set 1 Trap Card directly from their Deck. When your opponent completes a challenge listed on this card: Place 1 Completion Counter on a "Number 85: Crazy Box" you control and negate the corresponding effect on that card. When a "Number 85: Crazy Box" you control has 6 Completion Counters: negate the effects of this card and "Number 85: Crazy Box". Once per turn, during this card's controller's Main Phase: Roll a six-sided die and apply one of the following challenges and effects based on the result. This effect cannot be used if a challenge is still in effect, and your opponent must continue attempting the same challenge until they complete it. The following challenges refer to this card's controller:  
***1:** Special Summon 2 monsters from your Deck with the phrase "Cannot be destroyed by battle" in their lore from your hand or Deck in face-up Defense Position. Your opponent must destroy both of these monsters before your next turn. If they do not: Halve your opponent's Life Points, then Special Summon whichever of those monsters was destroyed, if any.  
***2:** Move "Number 85: Crazy Box" into 1 of your unoccupied Spell & Trap Card Zones (if there are none, return 1 card from any of those Zones to your hand, then move "Number 85: Crazy Box" in that Zone), then Special Summon 5 monsters with different Levels and 2000 or less ATK from your hand or Deck in face-up Defense Position. Your opponent must destroy all of those monsters by battle, in order from lowest Level to highest Level, before your next turn. If they do not: Halve your opponent's Life Points, then Special Summon any of those monsters that were destroyed by battle, if any. If your opponent completes this challenge: Move "Number 85: Crazy Box" into 1 of your unoccupied Monster Card Zones.  
***3:** Move "Number 85: Crazy Box" into 1 of your open Spell & Trap Card Zones (if there are none, return 1 card from any of those Zones to your hand, then move "Number 85: Crazy Box" in that Zone), then Special Summon 5 monsters with 1000 or less ATK and DEF from your hand or Deck. Target 1 of those monsters, then switch all 5 monsters into face-down Defense Position and shuffle them among each other. Your opponent can only attack once per turn. Your opponent must attack and destroy by battle the monster you targeted before your next turn. If they do not: Destroy 1 Spell or Trap Card your opponent controls, then Special Summon whichever monster your opponent destroyed by battle (if any), then shuffle the monsters in face-down Defense Position again (your original target does not change). If your opponent completes this challenge: Destroy all other monsters you Special Summoned for this challenge, then move "Number 85: Crazy Box" into 1 of your unoccupied Monster Card Zones.  
***4:** Special Summon 1 "Jigsaw Swine" from your hand or Deck, then activate 1 Continuous Trap Card from your hand or Deck. Your opponent must destroy both "Jigsaw Swine" and the Continuous Trap Card you activated before your next turn. If they do not: Destroy 1 Spell or Trap Card your opponent controls, then Special Summon or activate either card that they managed to destroy, if any.  
***5:** Set any number of Trap Cards from your hand, Deck, or Graveyard until you have 5 Set Trap Cards. Your opponent can attack you directly, and they take no damage, except from "Cube" cards. Your opponent must successfully attack you directly before your next turn. If they do not: Destroy 1 face-up monster your opponent controls, then Set Traps Cards from your hand, Deck, or Graveyard until you have 5 Set Trap Cards.  
***6: **Special Summon 1 "Cube Master Rubillax" from your hand or Deck. Your opponent must remove "Cube Master Rubillax" from the field before your next Standby Phase. If they do not: Destroy 1 face-up monster your opponent controls.

Overlay Block  
Quick-Play Spell Card  
When a monster your opponent controls attacks: Detach 3 Xyz Materials from face-up Xyz Monsters you control: Negate that attack and end the Battle Phase.

Silver Medal  
Normal Spell Card  
Discard 1 card. Special Summon 1 Level 2 monster from your Deck.

Cube Auto-Turret  
Normal Trap Card  
Cannot be activated unless you control a face-up "Death Cube". When an opponent's monster attacks: Destroy and banish that monster.

Cube Poison Gas  
Normal Trap Card  
Cannot be activated unless you control a face-up "Death Cube". Destroy up to 2 monsters your opponent controls, then inflict 500 damage to your opponent for each destroyed monsters.

Cube Spikes  
Normal Trap Card  
Cannot be activated unless you control a face-up "Death Cube". Destroy all Spell and Trap Cards your opponent controls.

Cube Vacuum  
Normal Trap Card  
Cannot be activated unless you control a face-up "Death Cube". Banish all cards in your opponent's hand, then inflict 300 damage to your opponent for each banished card.

Synchro Resonance  
Normal Trap Card  
When a monster (OCG/TCG: Must be Level 4 or lower) is Special Summoned: Special Summon 1 Tuner Monster with the same Level as that Special Summoned monster from your Deck.

Mirage Vacuum  
Normal Trap Card  
Tribute 1 Rank 2 Xyz Monster you control and target 1 monster your opponent controls: That monster loses ATK equal to the ATK of the monster you Tributed.

* * *

**Vile: The Death Cube challenge is over... but we've seen what these new insta-corruption Numbers can do, able to turn Charlie McCoy into a masked sadist willing to rig up traps to kill his old friend and his own cousin.**

**RK777: *whistles* Y-Tak was right, this ending WAS better, maybe not in tone, but definitely in quality, to our old ending. FYI, that ending had all the traps be fake and the whole thing be a complete illusion a la Fortuno.**

**Vile: Jin, for people like me who prefer the original. RK here is a dub guy, for those who read his stuff. You probably should go check out his profile and read what he's got... if he could ever get his butt around to posting anything. XD**

**RK777: *embarrassed blush* I'm not nearly as experienced as you. I swear, how do you come up with story premises like these? I had enough trouble thinking up Numbershot 41.5!**

**Vile: I guess it comes at different rates to different people. You'll figure it out someday. Anyway, if you guys liked this chapter and this story, leave a review for me, and don't forget to leave RK a little shout-out! Until my next story, JNFN: Ja Ne For Now!**

**Computer Voice: Vile, logging out.**


End file.
